A Fairy Tail Adventure
by Milennin
Summary: A young man with no memories of the past wakes up in the wizard's guild, Fairy Tail. With nowhere else to go, he decides to join. 'A Fairy Tail Adventure' is a tale of adventure and friendship.
1. Chapter 1 - Welcome to Fairy Tail

.

 **CHAPTER 1  
WELCOME TO FAIRY TAIL**

"Should I try punching him?"

"Maybe try pouring some alcohol in his mouth?"

"No way! That's mine!"

All was black. I felt extremely tired and there was pain everywhere in my body. I tried opening my eyes. Slowly.

"C'mon, just a little bit?"

"I'm voting for a punch to the face!"

"How's that going to wake him up, stupid?"

Both my eyes slightly opened, my sight was still adjusting to the light and all I saw was a huge blur. I tried to say something, but instead I ended up coughing.

"Oh, he finally woke up!"

"Are you okay, man? You don't look so great."

"Give him a little space, guys!"

I found myself lying on a wooden floor. My sight had finally recovered and I could see clearly. I turned my head to look around me. There were a bunch of people standing around me, looking at me. The room I was in seemed large, with a lot of tables and chairs. There was also a bar in one side of the room.

I coughed. "Wh–Where am I?" My voice sounded much weaker than I thought it would.

"Fairy Tail!" The man in front of me yelled with pride in his voice and a smile on his face. He had spiky, bright white hair; he looked pretty rough.

"I'm not sure what that is." I said, confused about the answer I got to my question. I was trying to raise myself, but my body still felt weak and painful, and I ended up sitting on the floor instead.

A few of the people around me were gasping, struck by surprise. "How do you not know of Fairy Tail!? We are the greatest wizard's guild in this region!" One guy said with raised voice. He was followed by a loud "Yeah!" from various other people backing him up.

"Can we even trust this guy? For all we know he's an enemy trying to infiltrate into our guild!" One guy stepped forward and glared at me with angry eyes. "Calm down, please." A young woman said as she stepped in front of the guy, then turned around to face me. "Let's give him a break and let him tell his story." She sat down on the floor in front of me. She had a friendly face. White hair, just like the man who answered me earlier. "Tell me, what is your name?" She asked me.

My mind went blank as I tried to answer her question. Really, did I know nothing about myself? Who was I? Where was I from? Why could I not remember anything? I tried to come up with a name on the spot, to break the awkward silence filling the room.

"Roth." I said with a soft voice. "… That is my name. I don't know where I'm from, nor do I know how I ended up in here." I looked down, feeling a little embarrassed for being able to provide such little information about myself.

"My brother, Elfman, found you lying outside, nearby our guild. You seemed to be unconscious, so he dragged you here inside. Why don't you stay and rest for a while?"

I tried to stand up again, but to no avail. My legs felt extremely weak and I fell to the ground. It looked as if I had little choice but to stay for the time being.

Elfman had carried me to a small room behind the bar where I was currently alone, lying on a soft bed. I could hear people in the main room talking, not sure what it was about. I tried to move my limbs, but I still felt powerless. Unable to do much, I closed my eyes and started to think what exactly had happened to me. The people here seemed friendly enough, at least most of them. I felt like I could trust them. It's not like I had much of a choice, though. My thoughts started to drift off and before I knew it I was sleeping.

* * *

I don't know how long I had slept for, but when I woke up it was still light outside. Or could it already be morning? I felt well rested and, to my surprise, I was finally able to move myself without hurting too much. "Good morning!" The young, white haired woman greeted me with a smile on her face. It appears she had just walked into my room when I had woken up, and brought me a glass of water. "Here, something to drink for you."

I sat up and took the glass. "Thanks." Before I could say more she had already left the room, seemingly in a hurry. She forgot to close the door to my room. I could hear a voice trying to argue with her. "But I wanna have a look!" The voice said, begging the woman.

"Not yet, Natsu. He is still tired and weak." She would not give in to him. Another voice spoke. "Hey, give it a rest, Natsu, and help us pick our next job!" – "Fine…"

The woman returned to my room and sat down on a chair next to my bed. "I'm sorry. Some of our members can be a little… energetic." She apologised, then after a brief pause, she continued "Have I introduced myself yet? I'm Mirajane. I prefer to stay at the guild, taking care of our members."

Not sure on what to say, I just looked at her. Mirajane wore a fine red dress. She had long white hair and one short, upward ponytail at the front, giving her a distinct look. She looked back at me, with her large blue eyes. "How are you feeling, Roth?"

"Fine. I think. Lots better than yesterday at least." I held out my arm and formed my hand into a fist. "I'm sorry for causing all this commotion in your guild... For making you take care of me."

"Don't worry about it. Helping out those who need it is my… no, Fairy Tail's job." She had a serious look on her face as she said that. She wasn't just trying to be nice, she really meant it.

"That's right." The voice of an old man could be heard. I looked around, but didn't see another person. Then I looked closer to the ground and saw a small man standing there. Like, really small, and old. But despite his age he had a powerful aura surrounding him.

"Master!" Mirajane said in surprise.

"Can I have a moment with this young man, Mirajane?" The old man asked her.

"Sure." She said as she stood up and walked out of the room. She closed the door behind her.

* * *

The old man had to jump to get on the chair. Surprisingly for someone his age, he did so without problem. This man was certainly stronger than he looked. Mirajane had called him master, does that mean he's the leader of the guild, I wondered.

"Roth. How much do you know… about yourself?" He confronted me directly, looking me into the eyes. He was trying to read me, I felt slightly uncomfortable by his gaze.

"I… I'm not sure. I know about magic. I can use it myself. But I do not know who taught me." The old man's eyes lit up for a moment when I mentioned magic. He then closed his eyes, looking like he was thinking about something.

"Can you help me?" I'm not sure why I asked him, as I had no idea if he actually could, but for some reason I felt like he might know something that could help me.

"I do not know, Roth. It seems you are suffering from amnesia, assuming you are telling us the truth. It might be caused by a powerful magic spell, or it might have happened naturally. Either way, I can not help to get your memories back, even if I wanted to. That is something you will have to work on yourself."

"I understand. Thank you for your answer." I felt empty inside, still not even one step closer to knowing what was going on with me. "What should I do now?"

"If you are indeed capable of wielding magic, you are welcome to join Fairy Tail, Roth. We are a guild of wizards who aid those who request our help." The old man paused for a short while, then spoke up again. "Most importantly, we are all friends. Fairy Tail is one big family. By joining us you will become part of that."

A group of friends, huh. One big family… At this moment, I was all alone. I knew not of any friends I had in the past, nor of any family. Would joining Fairy Tail be a wise choice? It didn't sound so bad, but at the same time I was not sure what exactly it would require from me. I still did not know about the people in this guild. Would I be able to get along with them? Still, without my memories in tact, I had nowhere else to go.

"… All right."

"I-I'll join Fairy Tail."

"Then, welcome to the family, Roth!" The old man stood on the chair, holding his hand out to me. I hesitated for a second, then shook his hand. "Now, come out when you're ready. Then we'll prepare you a welcome party!"

Wait, what? Welcome party? I never asked for this. The old man had already left my room before I could speak to him about it. I sighed and tried clearing my head of thoughts. But the feeling of anxiety would not leave me alone; I was about to be the centre of attention. How was I going to survive this? After some minutes had passed, I sighed again, more loudly than before. Very well. I agreed to join their guild, I shouldn't keep them waiting any longer. I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen to me? That's what I tried telling myself in an attempt to fight the feeling of anxiety. Then I stepped out of bed and opened the door to the guild hall.

* * *

"Welcome Roth to… Fairy Tail…!?" The old man who I thought to be the leader of the guild stood on top of a stool, announcing my welcome to everyone present in the hall with booming voice. For some reason the second half of his sentence lacked the same enthusiasm.

A huge silence, accompanied by everyone staring at me followed. What was wrong? A short moment later some people burst out in laughter. I looked down in embarrassment, only then I noticed I wasn't wearing anything besides my underwear. I felt my face turning completely red; this was the worst moment in my life – With all my memories of the past gone, that did not hold much value, though. I had completely forgotten to get myself dressed in my attempt to fight my anxiety before leaving my room!

To my surprise, the laughing didn't last too long, and soon everyone started drinking and eating. But mostly drinking. Probably alcohol. No one was really paying attention to me any longer. It felt strange, were these guys used to people walking around in nothing but their underwear? Not long after the drinking had started, I could hear people arguing, and they started to look and point at me again.

"Hey, do you think he could beat Gray in a fight?"

"Gray? Hahahah, not a chance!"

"A thousand Jewel the newcomer could wipe the floor with Gray!"

The arguing quickly turned into a fight. What started at one table spread out to the tables next to it. First punching and kicking, then the throwing of mugs and chairs. It only took a few minutes before the entire guild hall had turned into one huge cloud of dust in which the guild members were all casting magic spells on each other. I quietly stood there with my back to the door leading to my room, unsure of what to do. Mirajane stood next to me, but she only quietly smiled at me when I looked at her. Smiling during a time like this, what's wrong with this guild and its members? I was seriously questioning whether my decision to join Fairy Tail was correct.


	2. Chapter 2 - The First Job

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 **CHAPTER 2  
THE FIRST JOB**

The guild master shook his head, and then stepped forward. Was the old man really going to try and stop this cluster of brawling wizards? He grew to monstrous size, growing so tall, his head nearly touched the ceiling of the hall that was several metres high. It only took one stomp of his foot to dissipate the cloud of dust that covered most of the hall and everyone fighting inside of it. With all of the dust gone, the damage quickly became visible. It looked as if a hurricane had raged through the guild hall, it was horrible.

"That's enough! No more fighting!" With those words the old man shrunk back to his small, original size again. He ordered some of the guild members to clean up the mess and to take care of those who were knocked unconsciously.

"Roth, I washed your clothes yesterday. They're in your room." Mirajane told me as soon as the noise inside the guild hall had gone down to a reasonable level.

"Ah, thank you. I'll be back in a bit." Only just now realising I was still in my underwear. I had been so taken by surprise by how this whole welcome ceremony had played out. But I was glad to be able to return to my room again, away from all the chaos.

I found my clothes nicely folded lying on the small table next to the bed I had slept in. A crimson red, long-sleeved shirt with a golden trim at the end of both sleeves. It made a stark contrast to the dark grey, almost black jeans. Dark brown, regular shoes. Sure, my clothes weren't anything special or fancy looking, but at least they were comfortable, and provided just enough warmth to not get cold in any weather that wasn't just a hot summer day. While putting my clothes on, I noticed a sky blue emblem on the back of my hand that I did not recognise. Was this the sign that I had officially joined this wizard's guild?

There were still so many questions stuck in my head. What was I going to do here? Would being in this guild help me in finding back my memories? Was joining Fairy Tail the right decision after all? I sighed loudly, trying to relax myself. No point in asking myself all these questions right now. I suppose I should try to make the best of the situation for now, I thought to myself. Let's see if maybe I could start making myself useful to the guild. Or maybe try speaking to a member or two. If they're going to be my friends… family, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to get to know some of these guys. I readied myself with another sigh, then left the room.

* * *

Despite the guild hall being in ruins, people had already returned to drinking and feasting. Luckily no one really paid much attention to my return to the hall. I suppose they were already starting to get used to me being part of their guild. I saw the guild master standing not far from me and I approached him. I was a little nervous.

"Hey… how do I get started… with this whole guild thing?" I was unsure of what to ask, or how to formulate my question to sound a little more specific.

"Ah. Well, most of our members have their own groups and teams of people they like to team up with. You could try asking to join one of them, or maybe start a group of your own. Or perhaps start with some solo jobs, and see if people will recruit you to their group after some time."

"I see." I scanned the guild hall for potential teammates, hoping I could maybe find a person who wasn't in a team yet. I noticed someone standing all alone in the corner of the guild hall. He had been standing there ever since the welcome ceremony had started, but I could not remember seeing him join the brawl from earlier. He had long, spiky black hair, and a set of small, round metal studs covering his face. He didn't look too friendly, but I was curious about him.

"Who is he?" I just looked at the man standing there, afraid that pointing at him would draw his attention.

"Hm, that's Gajeel, ex-member of a rivalling guild. He joined Fairy Tail not too long ago, unfortunately he has been having trouble finding acceptance in our guild due to him being part of those who wrecked our previous guild building. Despite his rough looks, he means well and should be a trustworthy partner if you were to decide to team up with him."

A trouble maker, huh? Well, so far it seemed like he was the only one without partner yet. He looked a little scary, but he can't be that bad if he joined a guild called Fairy Tail. Seriously, where does that name come from anyway, I wondered, as I walked up to Gajeel.

* * *

"Yo."

The black-haired man had been looking down all this time, as if he was deep in thought, but my greeting woke him up. He lifted his head, looking at me with red eyes. His gaze was intimidating; he wasn't saying anything back. Should I turn back and look for someone else to work with instead? I was tempted to, but doing so wouldn't get me any further, and he was still my best option when it came to looking for people lacking a partner or team. I tried to start a casual conversation…

"You're new here as well, eh?"

"What do you want from me?" He replied rather quickly, ignoring my question. This guy surely wasn't the easiest to deal with.

"How about we team up. You and me?" I tried to make myself sound cheerful, but I wasn't sure how convincing it really was.

"Tch, are you kidding me?" He turned his head, looking away from me. After a short pause he agreed with a simple "Fine."

That went better than expected; he's not as tough as he looks, I guess. Now, what's going to be next? I was actually excited to have a look at the request board to see what kind of jobs would be available. Maybe there would be something cool for us to do. Besides, doing some jobs would show that I could possibly be a valuable addition to the guild. I surely didn't want to be seen as some kind of freeloader.

Together, we walked towards the request board and had a look at it. I was surprised by the sheer amount of requests that were posted here, there were so many! Missions varying from helping someone's pet get out of a tree, to requests for wiping out entire wizard guilds.

"What do you think we should start with?" I had my eyes on a paper requesting the hunt on a super large mountain creature.

Gajeel plucked a small note from the request board and held it in front of my face.

 _ **Cookies baker assistant needed A.S.A.P.**  
Requirements: None  
Payment: 5 Jewel per hour!  
Rank: F_

"You can't be serious!?"

"I have no idea what you're capable of. Let's start by seeing how willing you are to work for this guild." Gajeel said, showing no emotion on his face.

* * *

It was only a five minute walk from the guild to the bakery that had posted the request for a baker's assistant. My initial excitement had dropped to a level below zero. What's the point of joining a wizard's guild when all you do is help out in a bakery? Oh well, it was my only my first job, I had to start somewhere…

The hours went by slowly. Helping the baker bake his cookies. Buying supplies for him in the groceries store nearby. Cleaning the floor and windows. Greeting customers who entered the bakery. Meanwhile Gajeel had been sitting lazily in a chair outside, apparently asleep.

When the sun was starting to set, the baker finally thought it had been enough for today. He thanked me many times for all the work I had done, telling me has had never such a great assistant before. I wasn't sure if he really meant it or if he was just trying to sweet-talk me into working more often for him. Nevertheless, he handed me twenty-five Jewel for all the hard I had done this day. I felt happy it was finally over, but also very tired. I needed some rest, but first it was time for dinner. It took a few pokes to his face to wake up Gajeel.

"Get up, we're done here."

"Really? It feels like we only just got here. So, how much did you earn?"

"…twenty-five Jewel." I showed him the five coins.

"I'll take fifteen." He grabbed three coins out of my hand before I was able to react.

"Hey, that's not even fair! I did most of the work here."

"Fine." Gajeel returned one coin to me.

Still not happy by the fact Gajeel dared to take my money from me when he had done nothing at all, I tried not to let it get to me. After all, we are supposed to be friends… family. Family members shouldn't be fighting with each other. I'd forgive him for it just this one time.


	3. Chapter 3 - Good Morning, Fairy Tail

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 **CHAPTER 3  
GOOD MORNING, FAIRY TAIL**

We returned to the guild, just in time for dinner. Most of the guild members I had seen earlier this morning during the welcome ceremony were here, but some of them seemed to be absent. Probably still working on their mission or whatever. That made me wonder just how long certain missions could take, and what was be the biggest mission that they've ever had posted on the request board.

"You, over here." Gajeel pointed to a seat at the other side of the table where he was sitting all alone. It looked like he had already brought dinner for both of us. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

I took the seat, but I was more interested in talking than eating, despite being hungry from all the hard work I'd done.

"Why don't you sit with the others?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer from what the guild master had told me earlier today.

"I don't know." Gajeel continued eating, not taking his eyes off the food. "I guess they don't like me."

"You were in another guild before you joined Fairy Tail, didn't you?"

No response.

"What was it like?" I wanted to know more about him.

He stopped eating, but gave no reply yet. It looked as if he was in thought. Maybe looking for the words to use. After a while he replied.

"It's in the past now. I'd rather not talk about it. It's not like you'd understand."

He's probably right. I knew next to nothing about this world. I decided to not further push him about his past, and started on my dinner. 

* * *

When we finished dinner, Gajeel stood up and walked away, leaving the guild building without saying a word. I didn't know what he was going to do or where he was going, but I followed and caught up to him. Outside it was already starting to get dark; a few stars were visible in the dark blue sky.

"What are you following me for?" He finally asked.

I wasn't sure how to answer. To be honest, I didn't even really know why I was following him. I guessed it's because he's the only one in the guild I kind of knew at this point. I stayed quiet about it.

A few minutes later Gajeel stopped in front of a house. It didn't look anything special on the outside. It was the same as all the other houses on the block. "This is my house. You should find your own place to stay at." With that, he closed the door.

"I don't exactly have a place to stay at. Unless the guild would count?" I said at the closed door. Of course there was no response.

This was another problem, how was I going to spend the night? I barely had any money on me, and sleeping outside would be pretty cold. The guild building didn't look like a place where people would normally stay to sleep.

The door to Gajeel's house opened and he stuck his arm outside, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Here's a map to some girl's apartment in this town. She's a member of Fairy Tail, I heard she leaves her door open to anyone who's part of the guild."

I took the piece of paper, it had a rough sketch of the town's lay-out on it with a big cross, marking a location called "Lucy". Probably the name of the girl he was talking about.

"Thanks, Gajeel."

"Hmpf." With that, he closed the door again. 

* * *

It was a little hard to read, but I thought I was going the right way. Several minutes later I arrived at a house block at the side of a canal flowing through the city. It actually wasn't too far from where Gajeel lived.

There it was!

I opened the door and stepped into a small foyer with two doors at both sides and a staircase leading upstairs. Neither of the two doors on the ground floor had a nameplate with "Lucy" on it, so upstairs I went. The door to the right had her name on the nameplate. I knocked on the door.

"Hello?"

There was no answer. I touched the doorknob, and as I did, the Fairy Tail insignia on my hand started to glow faintly. I heard a soft click. Assuming that was the door being unlocked, I turned the doorknob and gently pushed against the door. Indeed it opened.

I was in a small but cosy looking room. A little too girly looking for my tastes, with all the soft colours - such as pink - and all, but it sure would beat sleeping outside. I thought it was a little strange this girl, Lucy, was not home, though. Apparently she's fine with guild members entering her house, even when she's not here?

There was only one bed and it looked super soft. I was tempted to lie down on it, but then thought of how awkward it would be if she suddenly came home in the middle of the night, only to find out a stranger was sleeping in her bed. So I decided against it; I took an extra blanket from a drawer and wrapped it around me and sat myself down in a chair in one of the corners of the room. This was comfortable enough for me. Falling asleep proved to be no problem after a day of hard work at the local bakery. 

* * *

I woke up early in the morning, feeling a bit stiff after sitting in this chair all night. It looked like this Lucy person had not returned to her home in the middle of the night since I hadn't been woken up by her asking what I was doing in her house. I didn't mind, though, I liked being alone. When I gave that more thought it suddenly seemed strange to me that I joined a guild of all things. I suppose I wouldn't like to be alone all the time, but being able to wake up in the early morning in peace and silence sure was something to be appreciated, I thought to myself, defending my earlier thoughts. Gah, I'm thinking too much! I decided to head back to the guild to see if I could get some breakfast there.

The guild hall was pretty empty this early in the morning. I guessed most of them were still enjoying their morning being asleep. Gajeel, however, was already present, standing quietly in the same spot I first talked to him yesterday. I didn't know if he had noticed me entering the guild hall or not, but if he had, he wasn't showing it. I let him be and walked up to the bar where Mirajane was busy making breakfast for the few members that were already here.

"Yo!" It felt great to be able to greet someone without feeling like a total stranger to them.

"Hey there, Roth. How was your first day yesterday? Did you do something fun?"

Not wanting to go on a negative note with how dull the work at the bakery really had been, I lied to her with a weak yes, followed by some fake coughing.

"That's great to hear." She replied with a huge smile on her face. Just looking at her made me feel happy. "Want some breakfast?"

"More beer, please!" The lady who was sitting next to me had been quiet all this time but now demanded more to drink. But really, who drinks beer this early in the morning?

Mirajane lifted a big keg from behind the counter and placed it in front of the lady. With two hands the lady proceeded to up the keg, holding it high up and upside down to let the alcohol flow into her mouth. I was speechless… Even more baffling was how fine she looked, despite the amounts of beer she consumed. You'd think she'd have a massive beer belly from drinking that much, but no…

"I heard you teamed up with Gajeel yesterday." Mirajane continued talking to me, ignoring the fact there was a woman sitting next to me drinking from a massive keg of beer. This must be normal stuff for this guild…

"I wouldn't trust that red eyed, metal eating freak if I were you." The beer lady spoke whilst wiping her mouth before I was able to reply to Mirajane.

"Oh, come on, Cana. He has apologised for his acts against the guild and is now part of our family." Mirajane tried to defend Gajeel, but Cana had gone back to drinking beer, apparently not willing to go into an argument over it.

I grabbed a dry cracker from a plate on the counter and took a bite from it, wondering just what Gajeel could have done that made the guild members so unfriendly towards him. I felt a bit sorry for him, but that of course was easy when I didn't know about his past deeds.

I quietly sat there for a while, just being lost in thought. After some time I finally decided it was time to activate myself, holding my arms up in the air, stretching them. I looked around and saw that the activity in the guild hall had gone up quite a bit since I had arrived here this morning. With more members coming in, it started to feel active and alive inside the guild hall.

I wonder what I'll be doing today. Whatever it'll be, it's going to be more exciting than yesterday's job. That's for sure.


	4. Chapter 4 - Unchained

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 **CHAPTER 4  
UNCHAINED**

I left the bar and walked up to Gajeel, who was still standing in the same spot as before, but he had his eyes closed. Was he asleep while standing straight up?

"I suggest you team up with somebody else." Gajeel had opened his eyes and spoke to me as I came nearby. So, he was just pretending to be asleep, then!

"Why's that?" I asked him, curious about his suggestion.

"Just look."

Gajeel had his eyes fixed on the centre of the guild hall, where most of the people had gathered for their breakfast. I turned around, looking in that same direction. Some of the guild members were looking back at us with serious looks on their faces and whispering to each other.

"No doubt they'll start mistrusting you as they do me if you stay around me." Gajeel said without averting his gaze at them. "I'll be going on a solo job today. Seeya." With those words he walked away, towards the request board. 

* * *

He's probably right, but I had no one else to team up with; most of the guild members either already had teammates or were busy doing something else on their own. Maybe I could ask a team if they'd let me tag along on a mission… But, would they accept a complete newbie like me?

A group of three was sitting at a table, a little away from the main crowd. A blue haired girl was trying to read a book, while her two teammates wouldn't stop talking to her. It was a bit of a strange sight, but they looked friendly enough.

"Yo, I'm new to the guild. You guys mind if I tag along on a job or mission?" I asked nervously.

The two guys were quick to respond and didn't seem to be too happy about the prospect of a third guy joining their team. They also didn't seem to like the fact that I was, according to them, friends with Gajeel – they must've seen me teaming up with him yesterday, I guessed. The girl who had been reading closed her book and had an angry look in her eyes, directed at her two teammates. Words weren't needed, the two guys noticed her and were already trying to apologise to her for their not-so-friendly response towards me. It got worse when Elfman appeared behind the two only seconds later, and started to shout at them. Something about them failing to be real men, slacking off during their jobs, not realising what it takes to be real men and more. But most of it had something to do with how to be a real man.

"He is kind of right, you two. You still have several unfinished jobs that you started without me." The girl added to Elfman's reprimand. Her two teammates looked utterly depressed at this point and were probably out of ways to apologise any more to her.

"You know what, how about you two take this day to finish up some of those missions, then I'll take care of our newcomer." She said with a soft smile, trying to be nice to them, but her teammates absolutely weren't happy to see that another guy would get to spend time with her instead of them. But with zero morale to fight back, they agreed to her idea and walked off, shoulders hanging low and their heads even lower, as if they had suffered a massive loss.

"Oh, those two are hopeless at times. Still, they're my friends, and we get along well, most of the time at least. My name's Levy. What's yours, newcomer?" The blue-haired girl spoke full with energy.

"Roth. I joined the guild yesterday… but I am without a team." I answered, slightly hesitating.

"All of us had to go through that beginner's phase, don't worry! Now, what would you like to do?"

Wait, why did I have to be the one to decide what we were going to do? I wouldn't know, but I guess we could simply have a look at the request board and pick something that would be more fun than helping out in a bakery.

"I suppose we could take on a job request…?" I suggested without much confidence.

"Well, do you know what kind of magic you wield, Roth? It might be useful to first know what you are good at before picking up a random job request. After all, we wizards all have our own ways of dealing with situations. And so, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses."

That makes sense.

"For example, I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm great at anything that has to do with words. Reading, writing, translating, you name it! So, how about we find out about your abilities, and maybe do some training together?" 

* * *

"There's a nice place in the forest I know, not too far outside the city, where we could get some training done in peace." Levy seemed to be full of energy as we walked through the streets of Magnolia, the city in which the guild of Fairy Tail was located. "Hm, maybe we should bring something to eat and drink in case we don't make it back in time for lunch at the guild." She also seemed to be in a pretty talkative mood.

"Say, Roth. Is it true that you don't remember anything about your past?" She asked me while looking for some fruit to bring with her at a market stall.

Whenever I attempted to think back about the time before I woke up in Fairy Tail's guild hall, my mind stayed completely blank. Did I have friends before I lost my memories? Had I been a part of another guild in the past? Being reminded of my lost memories made all these questions come up in my head again. A feeling of frustration welled up inside of me, I wanted answers so badly, but there was nothing I knew of that could help me get them.

"Come on, Roth. Time to go!" Levy was waving at me from a distance. I hadn't even noticed her walking away. I ran up to her and apologised for making her wait.

It was a nice day for a walk. The weather was warm and sunny, with only a few white clouds in the bright, blue sky. About fifteen minutes of walking after we left the city, we arrived at the edge of the forest Levy had spoken of. There was a small path of sand leading deeper into the woods.

"Follow me!" She said and took the lead. 

* * *

After another walk of around fifteen minutes, we found a nice open spot where no trees were growing. We would have plenty of space to do some magic training here without risking being a nuisance to others.

"I believe it's best to practise magic skills while being surrounded by nature; it makes it easier to concentrate!" Levy said enthusiastically. "Now, to begin with, try channelling the flow of magic inside of you towards your hands. The hands are most commonly used when casting spells, and they're a good, easy point to focus onto."

I closed my eyes and tried to do what Levy just told me. I could feel a flow of magic going through my body, but I had trouble getting ahold of it. I held one of my hands up and made it the point I would focus on. Once I started to feel closer to being able to control the flow of magic inside of me, my body began to hurt. Was this supposed to happen? I tried to continue to move the flow towards my hand, but the pain got worse. I opened my eyes and knelt down. I somehow felt exhausted already.

"I think I saw something…" Levy was examining my hands. "Roth, I need you to try the same thing once more. I think I could help you to get rid of this pain, but you'll have to give me time."

"So, I just focus the magic towards my hands and keep that going for as long as I can?"

She nodded and held my hands, watching them closely.

Here I go… closing my eyes… focusing on the flow of magic. The moment I tried to control the flow, the pain returned, becoming stronger as I tried harder to gain control over it. Just breathing started to become difficult.

"A little more…" Levy said softly. I could feel her fingers moving over my hands. What was she doing? I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep this up. My body felt like it was being stabbed by knives from every direction. I was going to faint.

"I–it's done!" She exclaimed.

In that instant I opened my eyes. The pain that I just felt seconds ago was all gone. I lied down on my back in the grass, still breathing heavily. I held my hands in front of me; there was nothing unusual to see about them. What just happened?

"I removed the seal that was placed on your magic flow. I needed you to make it appear for me, so I could read the enchantment and cast a counter spell against it." Levy explained to me about what she just did. "I know it must have hurt a lot, I'm sorry for making you go through all that. Whoever this person was who put this spell on you, they must have been a powerful wizard."

"Am I able to freely use magic now?"

"You should be good to go now. All restrictions have been lifted and erased by my counter spell. But let's rest for a while first."

I silently agreed with that last part.

She was so young, yet had no problem taking care of supposedly a powerful spell in such a short amount of time. I was honestly impressed by the way she had handled things. She's pretty amazing.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Flow of Magic

.

 **CHAPTER 5  
THE FLOW OF MAGIC**

The sun was at its highest point; sunrays were reaching this open spot in the forest, warming up the place. Levy and I were still lying in the grass, we hadn't really been doing anything for an entire hour.

"Let's get some training done." I said, finally breaking the silence.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I'm not feeling any pain. That disappeared the moment you took care of that spell seal." I stood up, readying myself for the magic training.

"All right. Remember what I told you to do earlier. This time you should be able to do it, now that the seal is gone."

I closed my eyes once again. I could feel the flow of magic much more clearly this time. Before the removal of the seal, the flow had felt dark and heavy, making it hard to control. Now it felt much more natural, easy to grab and move to wherever I wanted it to go. I focused my thoughts towards my hand. A small shock went through my right arm. I opened my eyes and saw a broken magic circle appear through my arm. Seconds later I was struck by a much stronger electric shock. For some reason it didn't seem to hurt as much as it should have, but I still felt a little dazed.

"That wasn't bad for a first try! But you lost focus the moment you directed your magic flow towards your hand. It went off too early, that's why you got struck by your own spell."

It was nice to know why my attempt at magic had failed, but it wasn't very helpful on how I could make it work. I tried again. This time the magic circle appeared around my wrist before I got struck by my own magic again. Clearly I was making progress, but it wasn't good enough yet.

"Take your time when moving the magic flow through your body. There is no hurry. Being slow allows you to be more precise. We'll work on improving your casting speed once you got the basics down." Levy was giving me useful information every time I failed.

With my eyes closed again, I grabbed the magic flow once more. I was completely familiar with this first step. The hard part was moving it to wherever I wanted it go without breaking my focus. I took it slow as Levy had told me to. I nearly lost control over it several times, but I had it almost reach my hand now… I could feel it flowing through the tips of my fingers. This was the moment!

"Lightning… Shock!"

A complete magic circle appeared in front of my hand. It glowed brightly and turned for a second or two, then a bolt of lightning shot out from the centre and struck a patch of grass. The grass instantly evaporated upon impact.

Levy was clapping and cheering. She looked so happy. I couldn't help but smile at my victory. I had finally learned to control the flow of magic. I felt great. Suddenly a rumbling could be heard. Was that my stomach? Oh, no. We hadn't eaten anything yet since we came here and it's already been hours since I last had something to eat.

"Here, I brought us some fruit." She placed a small basket on the ground, filled with all kinds of different fruit. "I didn't know what fruit you like, so I just took a bit of everything."

"Hm, you could have just asked me?"

"I would have, but you were completely lost in thought and not paying attention to me at all after I asked you that question about your memories, remember?"

"Fair enough…" I mumbled as I took an apple from the basket.

"I can't believe you learned so fast!" Levy praised me.

"Really? It took me, like… I don't even remember how many tries it took me to get my first spell off." I said, a little disheartened at the realisation of the fact that I had even lost count of how many failed attempts it had taken me. "Besides, I might unknowingly have borrowed from past experiences. I mean, I probably was a wizard before I had my memory wiped clean." I appreciated Levy's enthusiasm about my progress, but I didn't think I deserved her praise.

"If that's true, that should help you develop your skills at a much faster rate than normal. At least, until you've caught up to what you were able to do before that point."

Now, that's an exciting thought!

"All right, let's practise a little more. Are you ready?" I said with renewed motivation. 

* * *

With my stomach filled, I was more than ready to do more magic training. However much I wanted to move on to more advanced spell casting, I knew I first had to practise getting the basics down. I successfully fired off several Lightning Shock spells in a row, even getting a little faster at it. Levy seemed impressed with my progress, but I wasn't satisfied. I had an easier time controlling the flow of magic now, but still, something felt off. I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly it was.

And so, I continued casting Lightning Shock after Lightning Shock for the next few hours. The feeling something was off with my magic casting wouldn't go away, but I didn't want to bother Levy about it. I didn't think she noticed anyway… possibly I just needed more time to get used to casting magic. Levy remained in high spirits about my spell casting, even after this many hours. She sure had a lot of energy in her; I appreciated all that she'd done for me today.

The sun was starting to get low, and the trees cast long shadows over the open place where Levy and I were still training. Most of the grass and flowers around us had either been completely evaporated or turned a lifeless grey from all the Lightning Shock spells I had been casting. It was honestly a little depressing, seeing how the nice, colourful place had been turned into this… miniature wasteland. Oh well, it would recover and grow back over time, I thought, defending my own actions.

"Roth, it's getting late. Don't you think we should call it a day and head back to the guild?" Levy suggested, looking at the sky that was now getting a little dark.

I had not even noticed it being this late already. "Will we be back in time for dinner?" I was getting a little worried now. We had finished all the fruit Levy had brought with her from the market, and I wouldn't have enough money to buy something myself.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure Mira would save something for us." Levy smiled at me.

"It's strange, but after casting magic for this long, I don't feel all that tired." I said to her as we walked back, leaving our training spot behind us.

"It's because you only used up minimum amounts of magic with each of your spells, and since you likely were a wizard before, you must have a sizeable amount of magic inside of you already. Controlling the flow of magic is easier by grabbing small bits of it. The more you try to control at once, the harder it becomes to get your spells down right." She explained to me.

"You sure know a lot about this. So, how do we increase the amount of magic we can have?" I asked her, wanting to know more about the subject of magic.

"A lot of it is determined on birth. Some people are born without magic at all. Others start with a huge pool of magic available to them. Simply working with magic a lot can increase one's pool of magic. Everyone has different rates of growth, though. Some people are just naturally better at magic than others, and have their magic grow at much faster rates. It's different for all of us."

"I see."

This was all very interesting information to me. I wondered how much of my current pool of magic was through the use of magic before I had my memories taken away.

"Say, Roth. Do you have a place to stay the night at?"

"Gajeel gave me the address of this girl called Lucy. Apparently, she's fine with anyone from our guild entering her house, so that's where I spent the night yesterday."

"Ah, Lucy. She's such a sweet girl. But she wasn't home yesterday, right?"

I silently nodded.

"I heard she, along with several of our strongest members, went on a mission in someplace far away that same morning when you joined Fairy Tail… I hope they're doing okay." 

* * *

The walk back to the guild was over in seemingly no-time. In contrast with Gajeel, Levy was an easy person to talk with. She had great knowledge about magic and had a very friendly personality. Her two teammates were lucky to have her on their team.

Back at the guild hall, Levy and I had dinner at a table together. She had been right about Mirajane, who had, indeed, saved some for us. A lot of the guild members, including Gajeel, had already returned to their homes, so it was pretty quiet in the guild hall for once.

After we both finished eating we left the guild building and went our own way. I returned to Lucy's house, which was still as dark and empty as it was yesterday night. Knowing she was on a mission somewhere far away, I couldn't resist the temptation and slept in the bed this time.


	6. Chapter 6 - It's A Trap

.

 **CHAPTER 6  
IT'S A TRAP**

Rays of sunlight were touching the bed I was sleeping in when I finally woke up. How long had I been sleeping for? It must have been at least nine to ten hours. But with how super soft this bed was, I found it hard to blame myself for it. I didn't feel like getting up at all. I yawned loudly and stretched myself, still laying in bed. Ugh… I should get up… and go do something… I rolled myself out of bed onto the soft carpet beneath it. Why must everything in this house be so soft…? I bet I could fall asleep on the floor if I wanted to, I thought to myself with my eyes still closed. I lied there for a few more minutes before finally standing up. I quickly washed myself in the bathroom, then put on my clothes and made my way to the guild building.

The guild hall was pretty active this late in the morning, most of the regulars were present, sitting at a table, laughing and talking with their friends. A few people were standing in front of the request board, deciding on what they wanted to do today. I looked at the corner where Gajeel liked to hang around, but it was empty. He wasn't there yesterday when Levy and I returned for dinner either. Maybe he was still doing that job he took on yesterday morning.

I saw Levy's two teammates sitting at a table, looking bored; they were a lot quieter without her presence. Going by how they treated me yesterday, I had the idea they didn't like me very much… 

* * *

"Yo. Where's Levy?" I asked them.

"Oh, it's the guy from yesterday." – "Haven't had enough of her yet, she's our teammate, y'know?" Their voices reeked of jealousy, still unhappy with the fact she went training with me yesterday, leaving them behind to deal with their unfinished jobs. Nope, they still didn't like me. I noticed a paper lying in front of them on the table. Was it a job request? I picked it up.

 _ **Requesting bodyguard for escort mission to Onibus Town**  
Requirements: A strong wizard.  
Payment: 5 000 Jewel  
Rank: D_

A strange feeling went through my entire body as I read the request paper. Was it excitement? Whoever had posted this required the help of a strong wizard. Finally able to use magic, this was my chance to prove myself as worthy member of the guild.

"Hey, you guys were planning on taking on this job, or do you mind if I take it?" I asked Levy's two teammates, who weren't too happy of me remaining in their presence.

"Dunno. Levy picked it from the board earlier this morning, but told us not to touch it for some reason before she hurried to the town's library." – "We're still loaded with unfinished jobs; you can take it for all I care." They both responded, showing a severe lack of interest. 

* * *

I quickly ate some breakfast and then left the guild building, on my way to the meeting point to start my mission. It was just outside the city walls on one of the smaller roads. A person dressed in a plain, sand coloured robe was standing there, all alone. The hood of her cloak was covering most of her face in shadows. She looked a little suspicious, I thought, but I didn't care. This was going to be my first solo job, and a worthy one at that.

"You came alone? Good. Let us be on our way, then. Stay close."

That's all she had to say. I just quietly followed her, watching her back and surroundings, looking for anything that might pose a threat to my client. Although not anything was happening, I felt great for the chance at working on a higher ranked mission with decent payment. What should I use those five-thousand Jewel on?

We had been walking for about twenty minutes, when I suddenly heard a voice coming from far behind me. I turned around and saw Levy running at me. "Roth!"

As soon as she reached us, she pulled me away from the person I was supposed to be guarding. "Roth… I–It's a trap!" Levy yelled. She was out of breath from running all the way here.

"What?" I uttered in confusion.

All of a sudden, two other hooded figures appeared from behind bushes at the side of the road, both wielding nasty looking daggers. The person I had been escorting turned around and pulled a similar dagger from underneath her robe and held it pointed at us.

"So, you figured out after all, eh?" She grinned.

"Wait, what is going on here?" I didn't understand a thing of what was going on here.

"There was an enchantment cast on that paper. It just took me a while to figure out what exactly it said. But by the time I found out, you had already taken it and left." Levy hastily explained to me while preparing herself for combat. "I'll give you the full explanation later. For now, please stand behind me… I'll deal with these thugs."

"Ah-haha! You deal with the three of us, little girl?" One of the hooded figures laughed at Levy's bravery.

"… Don't underestimate me. I might not be Fairy Tail's strongest, but I'll be more than enough for you."

"Geh, heh. This could be fun." The three thugs took on battle poses, ready to charge an attack.

"Solid Script: Fire!" Levy initiated the battle with a powerful fire attack, created by words she made magically appear in front of her. The two male bandits jumped out of the way, but the hooded woman simply stood there, not at all bothered by Levy's spell. The two instantly dashed forward after dodging the spell, but Levy had already prepared a barrier. Their collision with the invisible wall looked rather painful, and knocked them back. The female thug jumped high up and extended both hands to cast a spell, similar looking to the fire spell Levy had used just earlier. It went over Levy's barrier, striking her from above. She blocked the hit, but it looked like she still got hurt by it. 

* * *

My hands were shaking. Was I scared? This was my first fight, and I had done nothing yet… Levy had told me stay behind her, but she was getting hurt by these goons, protecting me. That wasn't right. I had to do something. I closed my eyes and remembered the training Levy and I went through yesterday. Focus on the flow of magic. Take a piece of it and — It felt as if something had pierced my head for just a split second.

"Prequip: Lightning Battler!"

A bright light enveloped my body, then pieces of armour appeared out of nowhere and attached themselves automatically onto me. One metal plate over each of my shoulders, and two covering my chest. A long blue cape appeared, wrapped around my neck. A large Fairy Tail logo in gold was visible on the back of the cape. Right in front of me, a beam of lightning was formed, inside of it there was a large, shining sword. A beautiful, but sharp blade, made of white metal. The hilt made of a gold-ish looking metal with a bright, red gem in the middle.

I grabbed the sword's handle and took it from the electric beam that surrounded it. It was lighter than it looked.

Levy looked behind her, gasping at my new appearance.

With the transformation done, I tried casting Lightning Shock once more, this time channelling my flow of magic towards the blade of my sword. I held it straight forward, pointing it at the thugs who were backing off for a bit, clearly taken by surprise by my sudden transformation. Lightning particles covered the blade, and a magic circle appeared around it. Then a much bigger bolt of lightning shot from the tip of the sword than what I had achieved in yesterday's training. It hit one of the male thugs, sending a charge of electricity through his body. He dropped his dagger shortly afterwards and fell down onto the ground.

"Nice trick you got there, but it won't be enough." The female thug refused to give up this battle, despite being up against two wizards now. She was preparing another spell, but meanwhile, her ally charged straight at me.

Dang, he's too fast. I wouldn't be able to react with another spell in time.

"Solid Script: Hole!" Levy quickly cast a spell, creating letters between me and the enemy coming at me. As soon as his feet touched the letters, a large pit appeared beneath him. This left us with just the female thug now.

"I got you!" She placed both hands on the ground where a large magic circle was appearing. A second later, Levy and I both were struck by a stream of fire erupting from the ground. The heat was intense. After it stopped I could hardly stand up anymore. Was this the best I could do? Levy seemed to have managed to partially block the hit, but she also was in a bad state.

"To think you planned on taking us out on your own. Even with your pathetic friend helping you, you don't stand a chance. Where's all this big talk from earlier now, huh?" She followed up her speech by a crazy evil laugh, and then continued. "Never mind, you two are history now." 

* * *

"Not so fast!" A loud roaring could be heard from behind. The ground was shaking, what was happening? A huge monster appeared out of nowhere, and leaped over Levy and me, landing right on top of the female thug, who was readying her finishing spell. She got crushed beneath the mighty feet of the monster, screaming loudly.

"That's all? And there I was hoping to find a challenge worthy for a real man, such as myself." The monster shrunk down to human size and shape, revealing to us it was Elfman who had come to our rescue. "Hey, are you two doing okay?" Elfman turned around, facing us.

"… Yes, only thanks to you, though. I had underestimated their abilities… I'm sorry." Levy smiled weakly; she had trouble standing up right. "Y–you're okay, Roth?"

"Just barely. I wasn't prepared for that last spell of hers." I answered.

My body glowed again, and my Prequip gear disappeared in a flash. I was too damaged to keep up the spell that had given me so much strength in battle earlier.

"Don't think this is the last you'll hear from us! We'll be back, and next time you won't be so lucky!" The thugs declared from a distance, then ran, or rather, crawled away into the forest.

"Their lack of manliness makes them not even worth finishing off. Come, I'll carry you two back to the guild." Elfman supported the both of us with his big, muscled arms, as we slowly walked back to Magnolia Town. "Mirajane apparently overheard what was going on and sent me after you. Personally, I thought it was unnecessary, knowing the amount of manliness you possess ("Elfman, I'm a girl…!" Levy protested), but I'm glad that I was wrong. Not about your manliness, though! (Levy sighed) You did a great job holding them off for as long as you did. The guild needs more girls as manly as you!"

At this point, Levy was starting to get annoyed at Elfman's usage of the words manly and manliness being applied to her, but she was too weak to fight back. I thought it was amusing, but I too was too weak to show much of a reaction. 

* * *

Later, back at the guild. Levy and I were brought to the small room where I had spent my first night in Fairy Tail. Mirajane was taking care of our wounds, although most of them were merely bruises. Most of the damage we had received was from magic spells, which tend to not leave huge wounds behind, unless they were physical, which in our case they weren't. We had both been struck by Fire magic, draining us of a large part of our magic reserves. Our magic was lost to protecting our bodies from the intense heat that we had been struck by.

"There, these bandages should be enough. I'll be back in a bit with something to drink for you both." Mirajane smiled and left the room, closing the door to the room.

"I'm sorry, Roth… it's my fault you got hurt." Levy said with a broken voice. Tears started forming in her eyes.

"I was the one who took on the job." I was honestly taken by surprise by Levy's crying. "If you hadn't come to me, I would have been finished."

Levy was shaking her head. "You don't understand. I left that paper back in the guild. I should have brought it with me…" She paused to wipe the tears off her face. "I–It was enchanted with a spell, I trusted Jet and Droy to guard it while I was gone. I simply had no time to explain to them, I hurried to the library to search for the book to help me translate the enchantment… By the time I returned to the guild hall I found out you had taken the job and left all on your own."

I didn't really know what to say after that. I just looked down. I felt bad for seeing Levy cry. I didn't care whose fault it was. It could all have been prevented had I been more responsible. I had felt over-confident that I would be able to take on the job all by myself. What was I thinking…? I've only had a single day of training.

"But you know, Roth." Levy then said with a smile on her face, still having tears in her eyes. "I'm stunned that you managed to learn new magic so quickly. I had never expected you were capable of such a spell."

She was talking about Prequip. The spell I used to materialise armour and a weapon for myself in an instant. How exactly did it work?

"Prequip is a more rudimentary form of Requip magic. One of the main differences between the two is that Prequip is placed on top of what you're already wearing, but it offers only a single type of armour and weapon for you to use. While it's possible to create small variations in your available Prequip equipment, it has nowhere near the flexibility of all the different sets of equipment you can call upon with using Requip."

Levy was amazing at explaining all these things. I was amazed at how much she knew.

"The upside of Prequip is that it recovers at a much faster rate than damaged equipment from a Requip. So, even if your equipment breaks in battle, you will never have to wait long for it to recover it to use it again. It's not a very commonly seen type of magic. It's pretty cool you know how to use it, Roth!"

It looks like she had totally cheered herself up. I hadn't even done anything, but I was happy that she wasn't crying anymore.

Right after Levy's explanation of Prequip magic, Mirajane returned with drinks. She placed the two mugs on the small round table.

"Feeling better already?"

We both nodded.

"Great. I think your wounds should heal pretty quickly, but I don't want either of you to go on a job request tomorrow, got that?" Mirajane sounded pretty serious about that last part.

We both nodded again.

"Please, feel free to rest a bit longer here. Make sure you get a good night's sleep. And don't take the bandages off yet!" She said in an even more serious tone.

We both nodded again, again.

"Great! Well, I have more work to do at the bar. I'll see you two later, then." The friendly smile I was used to seeing on her face was back with those last two sentences.

I drank the tea Mirajane had given us and left after saying goodbye to Levy. I was going to follow Mirajane's advice and spend the rest of the day resting in bed. 

* * *

( _ **Happy explains!**_ "Hey, I am Happy! You don't know me? How is that possible? I am Fairy Tail's most famous wizard cat! Today I will cover the secret behind the job request our newest member, Roth, took up!

According to Levy, the request paper was covered by an enchantment spell. A very nasty spell, aye, I can tell you that! It only affects wizards possessing weak magic abilities–"

"Hey! Are you calling me weak, cat!?" I made my appearance to interrupt this silly cat's show.

"Aye! Weeeaaak!" Happy flew up high into the air. "Anyway, this enchantment only affects weak wizards and tricks them into thinking they're much stronger than they really are!

"I'll show you how strong I am… once you come down here!"

"It's a devious method of luring weaker members of a guild into the claws of the enemy; clearly the work of one of the many Dark Guilds that exist in Fiore. Thankfully, our newcomer received help from the noble Levy and Elfman. Who knows what would have happened to him otherwise?"

"I would have kicked their butts all by myself! Who the hell do you think I am!?"

"Anyway, that's it for today's _Happy Explains!_ I'll see you next time!")


	7. Chapter 7 - A Day Off

.

 **CHAPTER 7  
A DAY OFF**

Another nice morning, I was greeted by the warm sunlight shining through the window onto my face. It was time for me to wake up. My body was still slightly hurting from yesterday's fight, although I didn't feel that bad. I wanted to take off the bandages, but then remembered Mirajane's words (" _…don't take the bandages off yet!_ "), accompanied by the serious face she made when she told me that. Okay, let's not take the bandages off… yet.

Ugh, didn't she also say that I wasn't allowed to take on a job request today? I wanted to do more magic today… maybe I could ask Levy to help me with training? No, I should let her rest; she got hurt pretty badly yesterday, after all. Well, let's head to the guild building and see if there's anything interesting going on.

Upon entering the guild hall, I noticed Gajeel had returned, standing in his usual spot. Eyes closed as if he was asleep… or deeply lost in thought. Levy was nowhere to be seen, I guessed she was at home, taking it easy for today. Her two teammates, Jet and Droy, looked even more depressed than they did yesterday morning. Two days in a row without their team's girl, poor guys.

As I made my way to the bar to pick up some breakfast, a loud cheering could be heard from a table near the centre of the guild hall. It looked like Elfman was boasting about his rescue operation yesterday, claiming he beat over ten powerful wizards all on his own to save Levy and me from danger. I sighed.

"Who's manly enough to challenge me in an arm wrestling contest!?" He was now standing on top of one of the tables, shouting as loud as he could. More people gathered around, interested in the idea of holding a contest. Even Gajeel looked up to see what was going on. I had a feeling this could end badly if they went through with it.

I sat at the bar, leaning back onto the counter, taking a bite from a dry cracker while observing the excited crowd in the centre of the guild hall.

* * *

"Fine. I'll make you shut up, Elfman! I'm tired of hearing your endless speeches about man this, man that." Cana, the woman who had been sitting next to me, drinking beer from a giant keg now finally got up and pointed her finger at Elfman.

"Oh-ho! You're on, Cana! Anyone else joining in on the fun!?" Elfman seemed to be greatly enjoying the attention he was getting this morning.

From the corner of the guild hall, Gajeel came walking towards Elfman. "I'll gladly take you on." He said with a dead serious look on his face as he was cracking his knuckles in preparation. Elfman looked shocked at the sight of Gajeel for a second, but he quickly recovered.

"Sure! You're not match for my manliness!" He exclaimed, accepting Gajeel's challenge.

Several others volunteered to join the contest, and soon they were all busy setting up a small tournament bracket. Even though I unfortunately wouldn't get to do a job request today, at least there was going to be some quality entertainment in the guild hall.

This was the first time I had seen a smirk on Gajeel's face. It looked a little scary. I felt sorry for whoever had to face him in this arm wrestling contest.

"So, who do you think will win this one?" Mirajane asked me as she leaned forward onto the counter of the bar. "Gajeel looks pretty frightening, huh? I'm glad he's on our side now."

My guess was also on Gajeel coming out on top, but I honestly didn't know much of the true strength of anyone in the guild here yet to say for sure.

The first few rounds went by pretty quickly. Elfman and Gajeel were both on a roll, destroying all other competitors. In the semi-finals it was Elfman up against Cana. I expected another easy win for him, but Cana beat him in one clean swoop. The whole guild hall went "Eeehhh!?" Cana acted like it was nothing and was ready for the finals against Gajeel.

At this point, Gajeel had a devilish grin on his face, looking scarier than ever. He was really enjoying this. He placed his hand up against Cana's, who sat at the other side of the table, not showing a sign of being intimidated by Gajeel. "Go!"

Their hands were shaking. Could it be that they were evenly matched!? No… Cana was slowly pushing Gajeel's hand down. Was she going to win this? The one always drinking beer beating every man in the guild at an arm wrestling contest! The very thought of it was absurd, but Gajeel had trouble pushing back Cana. He was slowly getting closer to losing to her. His smirk had faded away and he looked as if he was really struggling to keep from losing. He was now closing his eyes. Was he ready to admit defeat? His hand was only several centimetres above the surface of the table now.

"Iron… Dragon's Scales!"

His hand suddenly got covered in metal scales. Cana was shocked by Gajeel's sudden spell casting and lost her focus. Bam! Gajeel took the opportunity and smashed her hand into the table, breaking the table in two. The guild hall exploded with a mix of cheers and complaints.

"Geehee, no one said the use of magic wasn't allowed." Gajeel said while grinning over his victory.

* * *

It was hard to follow what exactly happened after that point; the whole guild hall got covered in one huge cloud of dust, caused by everyone beating each other up. I grabbed another cracker, as I lazily watched the spectacle from a not-so-safe distance. Tables and chairs flying everywhere, and more people were starting to use magic, increasing the intensity of the guild brawl. I was expecting the guild master to show up at any time now to calm down everyone involved.

Not ten seconds later, the guild master, indeed, appeared. He turned huge again, like he had before, and smashed his fists right into the cloud of dust. With this, people realised it was time to stop fighting and everyone finally calmed down. The damage was even worse than that of the brawl I witnessed on my first day in the guild. The guild master ordered everyone to work together to restore the guild hall to a respectable state before disappearing again.

"I can't believe… I lost… to Cana!" Elfman said, covering his face with his arm, crying loudly.

Mirajane patted him on the back and smiled at him. "You did well, brother."

Cana wasn't amused by the fact she had lost to Gajeel using Dragon Magic against her in a match of arm wrestling. Considering how close she was to beating him before that point, I couldn't exactly blame her. She went on a drink break to soften the pain.

Gajeel wasn't in the greatest mood, either, since he was forced by the guild master to help clean up the mess.

The rest of the day went by fairly uneventful. Everyone kept quiet to avoid more fighting, and at the end of the day, the guild hall was somewhat restored again, all thanks to the hard work of all those who helped. That did not include me, since I was still officially on resting duty. Tomorrow, however, I would be allowed to get involved in some action again. I was already looking forward to it.

With four days of being member of Fairy Tail under my belt, I was starting to feel at home here. I guess joining this guild might have been the right choice after all.


	8. Chapter 8 - Five Adventurers Gather

.

 **CHAPTER 8  
FIVE ADVENTURERS GATHER**

When I entered the guild hall the next morning, I was greeted by Levy, who waved at me from the table she was at, gesturing me to come.

"So, you've recovered already, Levy?" I asked, noticing she had already removed her bandages.

"I have, indeed. I spent the day at home yesterday, but I'm as good as new again!" She answered.

"That's great to hear. What'd you call me for?"

"Well, I have been discussing it with my teammates, Jet and Droy, this morning before you arrived, and we agreed it might be a fun idea to go on an adventure together. The four of us. What do you think… would you like to come with us?"

Jet and Droy didn't look too enthusiastic about it, but they both nodded in agreement with Levy's words.

"We know it's tough being a newbie without any guild friends and all, so we'll let you join us just this one time." Jet said to me.

This was certainly not something I had expected to happen. Me, invited to join on a team adventure?

"Yes, I gladly accept your offer! I'll join." I said with a smile. I looked at Gajeel's corner. He was there, looking the other way. I had joined the guild after him and managed to get invited to join a team over him… It didn't feel right.

"Levy." I said.

"What is it, Roth?"

"Uhm… I know this might be a strange request…"

"Don't worry, tell us?"

"Do you think you would be willing to let Gajeel join the team, too? Just this one time?

"No way!" Jet and Droy protested in unison.

"Gajeel…?" Levy looked at Gajeel standing alone in the corner, some distance away from the table where we were sitting at. "He's kind of lonely, isn't he?" There was a tone of sadness in her voice.

At this point, Jet and Droy both stood up, looking angrily at Levy. "You can't be serious! He hurt all three of us that time when he was still member of the Phantom Lord! Did you forget, Levy?"

Levy stood up as well and didn't look like she was going to back off. "Did you forget he left Phantom Lord and joined our guild? Aren't we as Fairy Tail members all friends and family?"

Jet and Droy both looked down, they didn't look like they had much fight left in them. Levy did raise solid points. What Gajeel had done was in the past now. It was time for them to drop the grudge they'd held against Gajeel.

"Roth, do you know if Gajeel would even want to join our team?" Levy asked me.

"I'll ask him." I said and then walked up to Gajeel. 

* * *

"Yo. I've just talked with Levy and her teammates. They invited me to join them on a mission, and we were wondering if you'd be interested in joining us as well."

"Hm? What kind of mission?" He asked carefully.

"I… don't know. We haven't decided on one yet, I guess?"

Gajeel went quiet for moment, as if he was thinking on what to decide.

"Sure. Count me in." He finally said, looking me in the eyes. I could sense a slight feeling of gratitude coming from him. Despite having been a member of Fairy Tail for only a couple of days, I had learned Gajeel wasn't having an easy time getting along with the rest of the guild. Maybe joining this team adventure could help him become closer to the other members…

Together, Gajeel and I walked back at Levy's team's table.

"So, what are we doing?" Gajeel directly asked without bothering with an introduction.

Jet and Droy looked slightly uncomfortable, but at least they weren't protesting against the fact Gajeel was going to join the team for the upcoming adventure.

"Since Gajeel is joining us, what do you think of us doing one of those super tough job requests you two (Jet and Droy) have picked up a while ago and continuously failed to complete?"

"That's harsh, Levy…" Droy groaned.

"Super tough? How tough exactly are we talking about?" I asked, curious about Levy's suggestion.

She held up a job request paper.

 _ **Looking for the heart-core of a Geo Golem – Paying handsomely**_

 _Requirements: Must be able to slay a Geo Golem_

 _Payment: 25 000 Jewel_

 _Rank: A_

"Oh, hey! That's the job I had my eye on that time we went job hunting, Gajeel." I said cheerfully.

"So… basically you want me to clean up the mess for you?" Gajeel asked, unimpressed hearing about Levy's statement about Jet and Droy's failed attempts to complete the job request.

"If that's how you want to put it, yes. But we'll all be doing our part; we won't let you fight it all on your own." Levy answered without showing a sign of being offended by his words.

"Geh, I don't care either way. Beating up stuff is my specialty." Gajeel smirked. "When are we leaving?"

"Well, it might be a good idea to prepare ourselves first. Geo Golems are about two days worth of travelling away if we use a carriage. Not to mention we'll have to walk a part of the way since they only appear in mountainous regions. How about we meet up tomorrow morning at the guild entrance? Don't forget to bring food, drinks and blankets, everyone!"

We all cheered for deciding on a plan, and Jet, Droy and Gajeel all left to prepare for the mission. I would've liked to leave as well, but I had one problem I had to discuss with Levy…

"Levy… you know, with the failure of yesterday's job, and you know… uhm."

"What are you getting at, Roth?"

"Well, I still don't have any money to buy supplies with… I said nervously, looking at the floor. It felt embarrassing that I was still unable to pay for my own things. The fifteen Jewel from my very first job were not even enough to buy a single piece of bread with.

"Don't worry about it, Roth, I understand. I'll take care of your part." Levy said with a reassuring smile.

"These last few days… you've done so much for me already. Taught me how to use magic, saved me from those thugs, invited me to your team. I don't think I could ever repay you." I was grateful for everything Levy had done for me, it kind of hurt there was so little I could do in return for her.

"We're all friends, remember? Don't worry about needing to repay me. I'm happy you will be coming with us on the adventure! I'm looking forward to the five of us working together."

"Thank you so much, Levy." It was all I could say after that, but I really meant it.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Roth! Don't forget to be there in time, or we might just leave without you." She said, more cheerfully than I'd expected from a statement like that.

"What!?"

"Just kidding!" She waved at me as I left the guild building after our conversation. 

* * *

I walked back to Lucy's apartment, lost in thought about the events of today. I felt glad I was able to let Levy and her teammates accept Gajeel into the party. I wondered how things would go with the five of us tomorrow. Would Jet and Droy be able to work together with Gajeel? Would Gajeel not cause unnecessary trouble with that immense fighting spirit of his? More importantly, would I be able to be of any use when my teammates will need me the most? I had no idea what a Geo Golem was, but it sounded like it'd be kind of tough. It probably was, considering it was ranked as an A–class mission.

After that fight against those thugs I learned I was still a weak wizard. I had not even been able to keep myself from being defeated by a few lowly bandits, how was I going to be able to help out my teammates in a fight against a high rank creature?

The excitement from earlier was beginning to fade by these thoughts. No, I shouldn't think that way. I must focus on what I can do, and work on becoming stronger. Levy had told me I'd likely have an accelerated growth rate in my magical capabilities if I had been a wizard before. Who knows, perhaps I'd be able to surprise them with a new trick.

With these mixed feelings and thoughts about myself I went to bed. For the first time since I had made this my place to stay the night, I had trouble falling asleep. I was excited about tomorrow's adventure… there was no doubt about it.


	9. Chapter 9 - Journey To The Mountains

.

 **CHAPTER 9  
JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAINS**

"… a little longer. I don't want to wake up yet…" The sunlight shining into my room was making it hard for me to stay asleep. I pulled the blanket over my head to hide myself from the light. I had trouble getting myself to sleep yesterday night, so I felt extra tired this morning. The bed being as soft as it was didn't help, either.

Somebody knocked on the door.

"No one's here." I answered.

The door to my room opened and Jet made his appearance.

"We're ready to leave. You coming or what?" Jet said, mildly annoyed.

Ready to leave…? Coming? What was goin– Oh, snap! The team adventure!

"Hey, don't leave without me! I'll be there in seconds!" I shouted as I jumped out of bed. Huh, Jet was already gone? I left the apartment, then realised I wasn't wearing any clothes yet. I quickly ran back inside to grab my clothes and immediately left again, dressing myself, as I stumbled down the staircase. 

* * *

Was I glad to see the carriage with the others still waiting at the guild's entrance! I was completely out of breath from the sprint I made.

"I'm. So. Sorry – For. Being. Late!" I said, pausing to breathe between every word.

"This one and a half hour delay will cost you one-thousand Jewel more." The driver sitting at the front, clearly not someone from Fairy Tail, impatiently said.

Levy who was already inside, opened the door of the carriage for me.

"It's fine. I'll pay for it. Come in, Roth! Then we're leaving." She said to me.

As soon as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, the carriage started moving. It was a little cramped with the five of us in one small interior. I took a seat next to Jet and Droy. Levy and Gajeel were sitting on the opposite side. Gajeel was taking up more space than any other of us.

No one seemed to be willing to talk, so we just sat there, silently staring at the floor or outside through the rather small windows. I listened to the rhythm of the horses' hooves going click – clack for a good thirty minutes while nothing else was happening. Then, my stomach started rumbling and growling. I hoped the others wouldn't notice, but it kept on happening every few minutes, growing worse as it went on. I pretended I didn't hear it, and hoped no one else did. I just continued staring at the floor and quietly prayed that my stomach would calm down itself soon.

In the corner of my eye I saw Levy rummaging through a bag she had brought. She stuck her arm out at me. I looked up. She held a sandwich, and smiled at me.

"Th–Thank you." I said softly, and took the sandwich she offered me.

"You're welcome…" She said back with an equally soft voice.

The awkward silence returned as swiftly as it had been broken. I enjoyed the sandwich Levy had given me; it tasted good. Without having had breakfast this morning, it was no wonder I'd gotten so hungry. It would probably be lunch time soon; I wondered if we would stop somewhere soon to take a short break. I was only noticing it now, but my legs were starting to feel stiff. I'd love to stretch them, but Gajeel was sitting across from me with a stoic expression on his face. I'd rather not risk ruining his mood by stealing part of his leg space. 

* * *

Roughly thirty minutes later the carriage was halted. Soon thereafter the driver opened the door and let us know the horses needed a break and he was going to eat some lunch himself. We were free to go out for a short while. Ah! Some fresh air. Time to stretch those legs! We all stepped outside and enjoyed being able to freely move again.

"This whole travelling thing isn't for me." Gajeel grumbled. "Can't wait for this to be over and back at the guild."

"If only all of you were fast like me. We could have been finished by now." Jet was bragging, obviously referring to his High Speed Magic ability.

"Never mind that. Let's take this opportunity to enjoy our lunch outside." Droy said.

With that, I could agree. I approached Levy, asking if she could give me something to eat and drink, since she'd promised me she would take care of my part.

"Oh, no. I completely forgot about it, Roth." Levy stated sadly. "I noticed it earlier when I gave you that sandwich…"

I scratched my head, unsure how to deal with this unfortunate situation. "So, what do we do? Is there anywhere we might be able to get some food on the way?"

"You sure as hell ain't getting none from me." Gajeel said before I'd even considered asking him, while munching on a large chunk of meat.

"I'll share with you. We might go a little hungry, having enough food for only four of us, but if all goes well, we'll be back in a couple of days." Levy said as she gave me some of her lunch.

"F–Fine, you can have some from me, too." Droy then said, and gave me a piece.

"And from me as well." Jet followed up.

"Still ain't getting none from me." Gajeel said. ("I never even asked you." I mumbled in response.)

"Thanks guys, you're the greatest!" I said, smiling.

A short while after we all had finished our lunch, the driver let us know he was ready to continue the travel, and so back in the carriage we went. He had let us known the horses were in excellent condition today, and that if everything would go well, we might even be able to reach the lower parts of the mountain range we were heading to before the day would end.

The atmosphere was a little more relaxed inside the carriage this time around; the Team Shadow Gear members were chatting with each other. Gajeel and I both stayed quiet, but I listened to the others talking while waiting for the time to pass.

It was getting late already. I looked outside and watched sky slowly turn dark. Stars started to appear in the sky, one by one. The road had been getting bumpier, I was glad the cushions on the seats were pretty soft. I was guessing we would be soon be stopping for dinner. My guesswork was wrong as we would spent the next two hours riding over the same road that became bumpier as we went along. Near the end of the trip everyone was getting shaken around like crazy; even the soft cushions weren't helping to prevent my butt from going sore any longer. 

* * *

Then, we finally stopped moving. The driver opened the door and told us this was as far as he could get us. The rest of the journey was up to us. He would stay waiting here for our return. Levy paid him, and we took our stuff from the carriage to continue travelling on foot. However, we were all dizzy from that last part, and hungry since it was pretty late already, so we didn't make it too far before setting up a small camp. We made a campfire and roasted some meat above it.

Thinking about it, it surprised me how smooth everything has gone so far. There had barely been any friction between Jet, Droy and Gajeel… yet, at least. And aside from me having forgotten to bring just about anything, everyone else seemed to have come well-prepared for this adventure. On the subject of forgetting stuff, I was just reminded that I had totally forgotten to bring a blanket. There's no way anyone would have brought a spare for a moment like this. I think a part of my soul just left my body at that moment of realisation. Would I be better off staying awake the whole night than having to lay myself down on the cold, hard rocky ground?

I looked around me… looks like the others have already gone to sleep. I sighed as I slowly got myself to lay down and closed my eyes. Good night…

No way I can sleep like this! Gah, I'll go do some magic training instead. I'll at least be doing something useful then. I got up, and sneaked away, trying to make as little noise as possible. Not that it would have mattered much, since Gajeel was snoring pretty loudly.

A good distance away from the camp, but still having it in sight, I found a nice, open place. All right, then. I had not forgotten my battle against those thugs yet, how easily I had been defeated there. Tomorrow shall not be a repeat of that, I told myself. I'll show them what I'm made of. And so, I started magic training all by myself.

"Lightning Shock."

"Lightning Shock."

"Lightning Shock."


	10. Chapter 10 - Mountain Top Rumble

.

 **CHAPTER 10  
MOUNTAIN TOP RUMBLE**

"Lightning Shock."

"Roth."

"Lightning Shock."

"Roth!"

"Lightning –"

I opened my eyes and saw Levy's face right in front me, having a worried look on her face.

"Ugh, what happened?" I asked dizzily.

"Roth, what are you doing here? We've all been worrying about you when we didn't find you at the camp this morning!"

My legs felt weak, like I could collapse any moment. Had I been standing up all night? Why was my arm aimed forward? My mind was one big blur.

"He isn't looking too great, huh?" Jet said as he appeared out of nowhere. "What do we do with him? In his current state it doesn't look like he's going to be of any help to us."

"I don't know. Could you help me carry him back to the camp?" Levy asked him.

I felt my body being dragged by the two, but my eyes simply wouldn't open, that's how tired I was. 

* * *

A splash of cold water over my face woke me up.

"You done sleeping yet? Where have you been?" Gajeel curtly asked me.

I held my hand against my head, trying to remember, but all I got was a bigger headache.

"I found him practising his magic… while being asleep." Levy explained to the others. "Not sure how long he had been there for, but looking at him, it wouldn't surprise me if it was all night."

"That's ridiculous. Well, it's not like we need him, anyway." Gajeel said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Isn't that a bit cold, Gajeel? He's the reason you went on this trip in the first place." Droy stepped forward, joining the conversation.

"I'm just being honest. Don't you see, he's useless to us in his current state. As it stands, he'll only slow us down." Gajeel explained.

"Who cares? We're a team, and we'll be operating as a team!" Droy wouldn't accept Gajeel's reasoning.

Tension was growing worse between the two, and it further worsened when Jet joined in, backing up his teammate.

"Please, stop fighting. I'll come with you guys, all right." I said, still not feeling very well, but I needed to try to end this before it would get out of hand. "I'm ready to go when you are." I lied. I was cold, tired and hungry.

Gajeel hesitantly backed off, then gathered his stuff, preparing for the last part of the journey. The rest of us followed his example, and not much later we were ready to leave the camp behind us. 

* * *

We walked in a line over the small mountain path, leading higher and higher up the mountain. Despite the sunny weather, it was pretty cold at this height. While my clothes probably weren't the best choice for a trip like this, it could have been a whole lot worse. Levy, who was walking before me, unexpectedly turned around and handed me a sandwich. I was super grateful to her, but I didn't get the chance to thank her as she had already turned back to face forward.

After what seemed hours, we arrived near the summit. Gajeel gestured to us to hide behind a large rock. After we all got there, we peeked over the rock to see what was going on. A huge monster made of rock and stone was standing there. It didn't seem to be very active, but according to Levy, this was one of those Geo Golems we were looking for.

"Is there anything we need to know before we beat it up?" Droy asked Levy.

"Not much. They're non–magical creatures, but they are highly resistant to physical attacks." Levy explained to him.

"Shouldn't you know, since you guys have screwed up this job request several times already?" Gajeel asked, making a good point.

"We… We never made it this far." Jet sighed in embarrassment. Levy smiled, also partly embarrassed, as she had expected a response just like that from her teammates.

"Well, then. We're going?" Gajeel was getting impatient from sitting around any longer. 

* * *

Without waiting for an answer, he jumped over the rock and charged at the large rock creature, standing still.

"Oh, don't think I'll let you have the first strike!" Jet said as he activated his High Speed Magic and blasted off, landing a supersonic speed kick right in the monster's face. The creature, however, was not moving at all. While Jet jumped back, Gajeel made it his turn to hit.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" One of his arms turned into a large metal club, which he used to slam the monster with. This time there was a reaction. The ground started shaking, and the monster activated itself. Gajeel had trouble holding his balance with the ground trembling like that, and jumped backwards, creating a space between him and the target.

Droy, Levy and I had left our hiding spot behind the rock, and were standing right behind Jet and Gajeel. Droy cast a magic spell that threw a bunch of seeds at the rock monster, which quickly grew into large vines that started to pummel the Geo Golem from multiple directions at once. Jet followed up with another high speed kick. Both of their attacks seemed to have little effect, but the golem was having trouble moving with all the vines covering its body. Gajeel charged in, attacking with his iron club again, hitting the monster multiple times. The golem was starting to get angry now, and slammed Gajeel with one of its rocky arms. Gajeel was sent flying back, crashing into a rock, preventing him from rolling off the mountain. After that, it put its focus on trying to deal with Jet, who was still actively attacking it, despite his hits having little to no effect.

Droy launched another barrage of seeds at the monster to help keep it in its place, and Levy was ready to join in now as well.

"Solid Script, Drill!"

The letters that formed "Drill" were shot from her hand, rotating rapidly as they flew at the rock golem. It made an explosion whipping up a cloud of dust covering the battlefield. When the dust cleared, it showed part of a hole was formed in the Geo Golem's body. Levy's drill attack had proven to be the most successful attempt at hurting it so far. Unfortunately, it also was the most successful at angering it. Taking hold of the vines still covering its body, the golem ripped them apart. It then started making its way towards Levy. She was panicking now, and quickly cast several more drill spells, but they were hastily written and left much less of an impact.

By this time, Gajeel had already recovered from his crash, and pounded the monster in the back with all his might, using his metal club. The monster bent forward, clearly hurt by Gajeel's attack from behind. Again, Gajeel got punished for moving up so close, and was pummelled into the ground by the monster's mighty fists.

I realised I had still not done a thing to help bring this monster down, I was just standing there, watching my teammates fighting it out. Why was I not doing anything yet? Was I so tired that I couldn't bring myself to fight? Then, what was all the training for I went through last night? I had told myself today would not be a repeat of my previous fight. If I were to make that true, it was time I started acting. I closed my eyes.

"Prequip: Lightning Battler!"

Armour plates attached themselves to me, covering my shoulders and chest. A long, blue cape appeared around my neck. A blade of pure white metal formed itself in front of me, surrounded by a beam of lightning and electricity. I took it and swung the blade forward, pointing it at the monster.

"Lightning Shock!"

A bolt of lightning was shot from the tip of my sword, aimed directly at the monster. It made an impact, but the monster was still standing, and not showing any signs of exhaustion yet. In fact, it started rampaging even more than before. Jet, who had been able to safely attack it so far, thanks to being fast enough to dodge attacks aimed at him, got hit by a wild swing of the golem's legs. He was sent flying, but Droy caught him in his arms. Gajeel was in the worst spot possible, being so close to the golem's enormous feet while it was madly stomping the ground. He was trying his hardest to block the stomping feet with his metal arm, but without a chance to leave his bad position, he was getting desperate.

"I have a plan." Levy said as she appeared at my side. "I'll soften him up, you follow it up with one of your lightning spells, got it?"

I nervously nodded, unsure of what exactly Levy was planning on doing.

"Get ready! Solid Script: Water!"

She shot an orb of water at high speed at the rock golem who was still attempting to crush Gajeel.

The orb exploded in the centre of the hole her drill spell had created. With water all over the hole in its chest, the rock around it quickly turned soft. All I needed to do now was to strike at the weakened spot with all I had.

"Got it." I said, showing a confident smirk on my face. "This is what I trained for all night."

"New technique! Teslas Blade!"

I held my hand holding the sword extended backwards, then, with a mighty swing I threw the sword. It landed exactly in the hole Levy's drill spell had created. As it did, I extended both my hands forward, aimed at the sword that was now stuck in the monster's chest. I channelled the flow of magic to my hands, then made it leap over onto the sword. Lightning was shooting out from every direction of the blade, striking the monster at its core that had been softened by the water covering its rock skin. The barrage of shocks lasted several seconds, then it stopped. I was drained of my magic power.

The golem was down on its knees, in a severely weakened state, but it hadn't given up yet.

"Now, with the five of us!" Levy yelled.

The others pulled themselves together and readied a final attack onto the monster. I closed my eyes again, and searched for more magic power inside of me. I still had some reserves left, I took ahold of as much as I could and prepared myself to send a second barrage of shocks using my sword, which was still stuck inside the golem.

We all attacked at once, using our best techniques. A huge explosion followed, blowing us all away towards the edges of the summit. After the dust cleared, the golem was lying there in front of us; broken in pieces, not showing any signs of being alive any longer. Amongst the rubble, a dark stone was found. It was faintly glowing, this was supposedly the heart–core we were looking for.

We all cheered, congratulating each other on our victory today, then prepared to make our way back down the mountain again. 

* * *

None of us, except Gajeel, was really hurt during the fight. But it was thanks to him that the rest of us had been able to mostly focus on attacking. Jet and Droy both realised this and showed some respect to Gajeel. They were impressed by the amount of punishment he had been able to endure, while still coming out in decent shape. He was bleeding a little, but said he refused to slow down our travel back. Levy, however, did not approve of his tough guy attitude and forced him to sit down so she could tend to his wounds. This gave the rest of us time to rest our tired legs for a short while.

Later, when we finally made it back to the carriage where the driver was still waiting for us, I suddenly got overwhelmed by a feeling of sleepiness. The adrenaline from the fight from earlier had left my body and I was reminded of how little sleep I had last night. The moment I sat down in the carriage I closed my eyes and fell instantly asleep.

At the end of the next day, we had collected our reward from our client who was happy to finally have the heart-core he had been looking for, and shared the money equally between the five of us. I received five-thousand Jewel, I was rich now! Filthy rich, even! What should I do with this amount of money, I thought. Maybe buy a house. Or new clothes. Or maybe a pet? The possibilities were endless! I felt so rich, I gave one-thousand Jewel back to Levy, who had paid the driver extra for our delay at the start of the adventure. It wouldn't matter, I'd still have four-thousand left.

That evening when we finally returned in Magnolia, back at our guild, I was invited by Levy, Droy and Jet to join the party in the guild hall for successfully completing our job request, but I politely declined. I was still tired from everything, stiff from sitting for two whole days, and felt like I needed some time alone. I could already hear loud noises and singing, laughing and yelling coming from inside the guild hall, it wasn't something I was in the mood for right now.

Back at Lucy's house, everything was still as it was before I left on our adventure. How I missed sleeping in a bed, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. That first night in the mountains had been horrible, but all the sleeping I got done in the carriage hadn't been that great either. With tears of gratitude, I fell asleep in the soft bed.


	11. Chapter 11 - Meet Team Natsu

.

 **CHAPTER 11  
MEET TEAM NATSU**

"Ah! Who are you!? And what are doing in my bed!?" A female voice shrieked, instantly waking me up from my sleep in the middle of the night. I slowly opened my eyes that were trying to adjust to the light in the room. A young lady was standing next to my point, staring at me in shock.

"Oh… are you… Lucy?" I said with a sleepy voice.

"I am! And this is my bed, my room!" She yelled, still not recovered from her shock.

"Someone… Gajeel gave me the address to your house. He said it was open to anybody who's member of Fairy Tail." I tried explaining to her, and showed her the guild mark on the back of my hand.

"Gajeel, that creep!" She shuddered. "How dare he! It's bad enough Natsu and Happy come here uninvited every few days."

I stayed quiet.

"So… uhm, you're the new member who was found outside the guild last week?" She then asked me after having calmed down from her initial shock.

I nodded.

"That's still no excuse to be sleeping in the bed of a girl!" She yelled in frustration and threw her arms up in the air, probably realising that, I, as complete stranger to her, was still in her bed.

"Fine. Where do you want me to sleep, then?" I asked the rather noisy girl.

She appeared somewhat angry and I was expecting to get told to sleep outside, but she soon calmed down again before she had decided on an answer.

"I–I don't care… the chair, or floor, or whatever." She was trying her hardest to be nice. "Just don't try anything funny or you'll get hurt!" She said, defending herself.

"I won't." I dryly replied as I grabbed a blanket to wrap around myself and moved over to the chair in the corner of the room. I was too tired to do more talking with this girl and her loud voice, and simply closed my eyes, grateful she allowed me to stay in her apartment for the night. Now, if only she would turn the lights off…

"I'm keeping the lights on, just in case!" She then said.

"Sure, whatever." I said, irritated. How were we supposed to sleep if she refused to turn the lights off. I just stayed where I was with my eyes closed, trying to calm down myself.

After some minutes had passed, I could hear her feet touching the floor and walking across the room. Was she finally going to turn off the lights? Seconds later the room turned dark, and I could hear her returning to her bed. Yes!

"I'm still watching you!" She said, clearly not trusting me yet and assuming I was still awake to hear what she was saying to me. I pretended to be already sleeping and not hearing her at all. 

* * *

I woke up earlier than I did the other nights when I had the bed to sleep in, but I still felt pretty well rested, despite the nightly interruption by Lucy's return. It looked like she was still asleep.

Shortly after I got myself dressed and was about to leave, she woke up and greeted me. She sounded much nicer than she did last night.

"I'm sorry about before." She apologised in a friendly manner. "I'm Lucy!" She introduced herself cheerfully, even though she should know I already knew her name.

"I'm Roth… nice to meet you." I replied carefully, hoping she wouldn't find a reason to suddenly yell at me again. "I had not enough money to afford an apartment, and Gajeel wouldn't let me stay at his place. That's why I was here." I continued after a short pause, explaining my situation to her.

She listened to my story and I could see a trace of empathy in her eyes.

"But I earned some good money on my last guild mission, so don't worry, I'll look into getting an apartment of my own."

"N–No, it's fine!" She hastily responded. "It just would've been nice to… have had let me known you'd be staying here… somehow." As she said that, she realised that would've not been possible. "Anyway, want to come with me to the guild hall? I'll introduce you to my teammates; they should be there already." She said with a friendly smile.

"Sure."

Before leaving she grabbed a small pouch that was lying on the table near her bed. The sound of tinkling metal could be heard, I wondered what it contained. Together, we walked to the guild building. Lucy was talking a lot, things about missions she had done, and about the people on her team. I had no idea how much of what she was saying was the truth and what parts were just made up. It all sounded rather fantastical. 

* * *

As soon as we stepped into the guild hall, we were greeted by a boy with salmon pink hair. Really, pink hair? That's quite unusual…

"Hey, Lucy! Over here!" He said with a loud voice and pointed at an empty seat at his table. He was accompanied by two others. A guy around the same age as him, wearing nothing but boxers, and a crimson-haired girl, clad in metal armour. There also was a blue cat sitting on their table.

"Oh, you have a boyfriend, Lucy?" Natsu teased her.

"Is she in looo–" The blue cat followed up, but Lucy slapped him in the face before he could finish. She sat down next to Natsu, trying to ignore the annoying remarks from her friends. I took a seat on the opposite side, next to the guy not wearing any clothes. It felt a little uncomfortable to me, but he wasn't showing any signs of being embarrassed about it.

"So, hey. Who's this newcomer?" Natsu then asked with big round eyes, showing curiosity.

"This is Roth. Why don't you introduce yourselves to him?" Lucy said patiently.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel! I'm a Dragon Slayer!" Natsu stated proudly with a loud voice, pointing his thumb to his chest, to make sure he was being heard and seen. A few other people nearby were complaining about the noise he was making, but he ignored them.

"Gray Fullbuster." The almost completely naked guy next to me said, following up Natsu.

"The name's Erza. Erza Scarlet. Pleased to meet you, Roth." The girl with the long, red hair said, finishing the round of introductions.

"Don't forget about me! I'm Happy!" The blue cat said happily as he jumped on top of the table.

"I'm Roth." I said to introduce myself to the others. "I joined the guild only a week or so ago, so I'm pretty new here."

"Oh! You're that guy!" Natsu suddenly remembered. "So, how about we have a fight?" He asked eagerly.

That was a strange request. Why would we be fighting?

"Not all of us are as barbaric as you, Natsu. Of course the guy doesn't want to waste his time on a pointless fight." Gray dryly told Natsu before I had been able to think of a proper reply to his request.

"What were you saying, pervert!?" Natsu growled and stepped with one foot onto the table, and leaned over to Gray with his fists ablaze. Gray didn't back off and stared right back at Natsu with a mad look in his eyes. A cold aura was emanating from his skin. Things were getting tense.

"Stop it, Natsu! Gray!" Lucy yelled as she desperately tried to calm the two down, and was pulling Natsu at one of his shoulders with both her hands, but he completely ignored her.

I was getting the feeling it wouldn't be a bad idea for me to create some distance between myself and them, before another brawl would erupt.

Unfortunately however, I was too late. Natsu and Gray were now actively beating each other up. The fight soon spread out to the tables nearby, and before I had time to get out of the way of things, everyone around me was fighting. I got hit by random fists and feet coming from every direction, not knowing who was hitting me. I threw myself down on the floor to avoid getting hit by flying objects, such as chairs, tables and mugs. 

* * *

Before things could get further out of hand, Erza got up, slammed both her hands on the table and shouted everyone to calm down already and to go back to having a peaceful breakfast. To my surprise, everyone, including Natsu and Gray, got quiet and stopped fighting that instant. Who was this girl… being able to stop a guild brawl just like that. She held a hand out at me and helped me get up. I brushed the dust and rubble off my clothes and thanked her.

Gray had fallen down on top of another person who had been knocked unconscious for a moment during the fight, but she woke up just now.

"Oh!" She shouted with delight. "For Juvia to be touched by her love, Gray! There could be no greater moment!" She seemed to be out of her mind.

Gray was a little confused by her obsessive reaction, and quickly moved away from her, not giving her any further attention.

"Oh, this is Juvia. She joined shortly before you, Roth." Lucy said to me. "… She had followed us on our last mission, even though she's not part of the team, really."

"Juvia could not stand the thought of being parted from her dear Gray, for one whole week!" Juvia wailed. "I only did what was best for the two of us."

"Don't involve me in this…" Gray said, clearly not wanting to be a part of Juvia's mad fantasies.

"Lucy!" Happy exclaimed.

What is it, Happy?" She asked, turning around.

"Shouldn't you be more careful with your clothes if you plan on participating in the Miss Fairy Tail contest?" Happy said, showing his usual happy looking face.

"Aaah!" Lucy jumped into the air as she looked at her clothes being torn and all filthy from the guild fight. "Oh no, I don't have money to afford new clothes and these are the best I had." She cried.

"Isn't the contest thing starting tomorrow?" Natsu asked curiously, oblivious to Lucy's state of shock and stress.

"That's right." Erza answered.

"You're participating too, Erza?" Gray asked her.

"There's no way I'm going to win with both Mirajane and Erza participating…" Lucy said, utterly depressed and with tears flowing from her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12 - A Place To Call Home

.

 **CHAPTER 12  
A PLACE TO CALL HOME**

After a while I started to get bored of listening to their chattering; I said goodbye to them, and left the guild building. I had some business to do in town. However, Lucy came running after me.

"Hey, wait up! Are you going to look for an apartment?" She asked.

"Yes, do you know of a good place to start?"

"I need to do some shopping in preparation for tomorrow's event, but we should have plenty of time to look around for a place for you. If you'd like to go together, that is." She said, smiling.

"Sure. So, what exactly is this contest all about?" I asked to show some interest in what was occupying her thoughts.

"It's my first time participating, but the winner is declared the prettiest and most beautiful girl in our guild, Fairy Tail. There's also a lot of prize money to be won." Lucy sounded pretty exciting about the whole thing. We walked into a women's clothing store where Lucy went looking for some cute accessories to buy.

"Weren't you saying earlier you are going to lose, though?" I asked, a little confused.

"That doesn't mean I can't at least try! But you're right… winning from Erza is going to be tough. Oh… what to buy, and why is everything so expensive?" 

* * *

Several clothing stores, and several hours later, she hadn't bought anything yet.

"Never mind this, I'm giving up. I don't have enough money to buy anything fancy." Lucy said, depressed and sighed deeply.

"Does that mean we can start looking for an apartment?" I asked, getting tired of following her around without accomplishing anything.

"Oh, yeah! I know some districts where you can get a decent apartment for a low price. I'll show you." She answered. And so, I continued following her around. "How much money do you have available to you, Roth?"

"Uhm… Four-thousand Jewel. It's from my last job request. That should be a reasonable amount?"

"Ow, only four-thousand? That's going to be a tough one. But don't worry. I will help you find something!" She said with much confidence. But really, four-thousand wasn't considered much? And I thought I was filthy rich yesterday. Maybe I should have kept that one-thousand Jewel I gave back to Levy for myself after all… 

* * *

After some time looking around and asking landlords for apartment pricing, we finally found something that wasn't just an empty wooden shack. A small, one room apartment in the outer rings of the city, about a ten minute walk away from the guild. Ignoring the fair layer of dust covering the place, I thought it looked pretty cosy. It wasn't anywhere near as fancy looking as what Lucy had, but it had everything I needed. Room for a bed, a small kitchen, a bathroom and a fireplace. Not that I needed the kitchen, though, my cooking was awful and I went to the guild for meals anyway.

The rent, however, was at a steep three-thousand Jewel a month. On top of that, I would need to buy myself some new furniture, since whatever was currently used in here looked quite old and I didn't like it.

"I really like it, Roth!" Lucy said, amazed.

"Yeah. I'll have some work to do to make it prettier, but it's nice for a start. The only problem will be paying the rent… three-thousand is quite a lot."

"I know! Why don't you join me and Natsu on our next job? We'll pick something that earns a good amount of money."

"I'd be happy to. Although Levy told me you and your friends are some of the strongest in the guild, I'm not sure if I'd be able to be of any use to you." I told her.

"Ah–haha." Lucy laughed weakly. "Don't worry. I'm not that strong myself. I let all my Celestial Spirits do the work for me." She said as she showed me the pouch she'd picked from her table this morning. "In fact, I'd bet Levy is stronger than I am." Lucy said, showing her modest side.

"Anyway, you'll have to show me how to do that trick with the door. You know, that lets any member of our guild through without needing a key." I said, getting back on the subject of my apartment.

"Oh right. You do like this and that…" Lucy said as she was casting a spell on the door to my room. "There! Now, all of us can visit you whenever they like." She said, smiling. "Be careful with inviting Natsu, though. He enters my house at the most unexpected times."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll be going now! I still need to prepare for tomorrow. Good luck with taking care of your apartment, Roth." She said as she was leaving. "I'll visit you when we're getting our next job!"

I waved her goodbye, then closed the door. 

* * *

Finally, silence. I sighed. Lucy was a really nice person, but she also was very energetic and talked a lot. It left me feeling drained, having her around for so long.

I would've liked to rest for a while, but getting rid of all that dust inside my apartment was higher on my priority list at the moment. I wondered how long it's been since anyone lived here. I was worried about seeing cobwebs in some of the room's corners. That could mean only one thing… spiders. I was deathly afraid of spiders; they creeped me out. I knew they were mostly harmless, but I couldn't help feeling so scared when seeing one.

During my clean up round I encountered only a few small spiders, too small for me to even worry about. Until… I visited the bathroom. There was a huge one sitting on the floor. How had I not noticed it earlier? At least I could have asked Lucy to help me deal with it then. Now I was all alone. A feeling of despair was taking ahold of me the more I looked at the monster. I held the broom I had been using for cleaning in both my hands, which were shaking more than they should be. I slowly raised it, not taking my eyes off the spider who was still sitting there, in the exact same spot.

I was ready to strike… yet I didn't. What should I do if I miss? What if it runs away? I was thinking up all kinds of different scenarios in my head. What if it retaliates and jumps on my face? No, that was ridiculous. I'm a hundreds times bigger than this monster. It should be afraid of me instead!

I swung the broomstick at the floor where the spider was at. Bam! Did I get it? The brush was covering the spot where the spider had been. I slowly lifted it up. No! It was still alive and it ran away! I was suffering a heart attack (not literally, mind you).

Several hours of struggling to catch it later, I finally had managed to kill it without losing my own life in the process. I was victorious at last! Hopefully, that would be the last one I'd encounter in here, I thought to myself as I sat down in the small couch in my room to rest. I sighed. I had done a lot of cleaning today, and it looked a lot nicer in here already.

It was already dark outside; it was about time for me to go to sleep. Tomorrow there would be the Miss Fairy Tail contest which Lucy had been so excited about. The rest of the city had also been preparing for some festival. I hadn't the chance to ask about it earlier, with Lucy talking so much. But it looked really nice, and people looked excited about it. With thoughts wondering what tomorrow would bring, I fell asleep on the couch.


	13. Chapter 13 - Battle of Fairy Tail

.

 **CHAPTER 13  
BATTLE OF FAIRY TAIL**

It was still somewhat early in the morning when I woke up. My back was stiff from lying on the couch, which wasn't quite big enough for someone my height, all night. I'd have to look into buying a bed some time, rather sooner than later. I did some stretching, then washed myself, got dressed and went outside. Not many people were on the streets yet, but some were setting up market stalls and finishing preparations for some kind of festival it seemed. The sky was nice and clear, looked like the weather was going to be perfect today.

When I arrived in the guild hall, I noticed Gray and Erza were already there, but Natsu and Lucy seemed to be absent. Despite the two sitting at the same table, they weren't talking much. Gajeel was in his usual corner, with his eyes closed. Team Shadow Gear was also at a table. Levy looked a little nervous; would she also participate in the contest? Some other guild members were busy decorating the guild hall with balloons and preparing the Miss Fairy Tail banner to hang above the podium where the contest would be taking place later today.

I walked up to the bar and had some breakfast there.

"Will you be coming to watch, Roth?" Mirajane asked.

"The contest? Yeah, I think so." I answered. "I heard from Lucy you're also participating?"

"I am. I won last year's contest, but it looks like there'll be stiff competition this year." She said as she looked around the guild hall, probably at some of the other competitors.

"Well, good luck."

I felt like doing something other than sitting in the guild hall, but seeing how the contest would be starting in a few hours it probably would be better to just stay. As the time passed, more guild members entered. Natsu and Lucy came in together and joined Gray and Erza at their table. I thought it was somewhat cute how much Lucy seemed to like critique Natsu, yet she seemed good friends with him.

I decided to pay Gajeel a visit to see what he was up to.

"Yo." I greeted him.

"What?" He sounded a little sleepy. Maybe he had been sleeping all this time I wondered. It's hard to tell with him.

"Who do you think will win the contest?" I said, trying to get a conversation going.

"Dunno. I don't care." Gajeel answered bluntly.

It was so hard to get anything out of him. I gave up and took a place against the wall, next to him. 

* * *

After some time had passed, it looked like the contest was finally about to start. The participants had already disappeared to a place behind the stage, probably getting ready for the contest. Everyone was turning their chairs to face the podium where the event would take place on. Those without chairs were standing around, crowding around the podium. Gajeel and I stood somewhere in the back, but we still had a good view on what was going on from our position.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A blonde–haired man shouted as he took his place on the podium, holding a microphone in his hand. "Our fairy beauty pageant, the Miss Fairy Tail contest, is about to begin! I, the sand wizard, Max, will be your host today!" His introduction was followed by cheering. Everyone was getting pumped up.

Cana was up first, she was greeted by a loud cheering as she appeared on the stage. I was still utterly perplexed as to how she could look this fine while drinking as much as she did.

She was followed by the second entry, Juvia, who wore a much more modest dress than the skimpy outfit Cana had been showing off. That all disappeared when she used her Water magic to reveal herself in a swimsuit, splashing water over those standing in the front rows.

Mirajane was entry number three. She appeared in her signature dress, but that alone was enough to get the crowd going wild. Her attempt at appeal was a complete failure, though, replacing her head with Happy's and then Gajeel's using her transformation magic. Gajeel was in utter shock by seeing her use his face like that; I thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing for a good minute.

Number four was Erza, also known as Titania. She made a dramatic entrance, and the people were clapping wildly. They all fell in love with Erza once she Requipped herself into some maid outfit. It was my first time seeing Requip Magic in action; it was indeed different than my Prequip ability.

Next was Levy, wearing her standard clothing. After the incredibly popular Mirajane and Erza, the crowd stayed much quieter this time around. Except for her teammates, who were shouting her name and cheering for her.

Bisca was number six, who was wearing next to nothing. She showed off her shooting skills with a rifle that she materialised out of nowhere, and the crowd was genuinely impressed by her performance.

Finally, it was Lucy's turn to show up. She smiled nervously as she walked up the podium, waving her hand at the audience. She was about to show off her Celestial Spirits, when she got interrupted by a mysterious voice coming from behind the stage. Everyone looked up in surprise. What was happening? 

* * *

A woman wearing a green dress appeared on stage, hiding her face with a fan. She then introduced herself as Evergreen and declared the contest as over. No one seemed to be knowing what exactly was going on, but apparently Evergreen was also a member of Fairy Tail. Lucy got angry at this woman interrupting her round for the contest, but she only looked back at Lucy, and somehow turned her to stone. At this point, I knew something was wrong, as did the other people in the guild hall.

"Everyone, away from here!" Max yelled at the audience.

People were running away in panic, wanting to get away from this woman.

"What do you think you're doing, Evergreen?" The guild master said as he stepped forward. He was backed by some of the guild members.

She just laughed, then revealed the other contestants of the Miss Fairy Tail contest, who had also all been turned to stone. This was starting to look very bad. Seconds later, the podium was struck by a bolt of lightning that appeared out of nowhere. A man was standing on the place of impact.

"Laxus!"

His bodyguards, Freed and Bixlow, had also infiltrated the guild hall and were both standing at a side.

Laxus threatened to destroy the girls who had been turned to stone. He was saying something about finding out who's the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail and that he wouldn't let the girls turn back to normal, unless the guild could somehow defeat him and his bodyguards. It all sounded ridiculous to me, but I was prepared to help out the guild. No one gets to turn my comrades to stone and gets away with it!

A few more rules were brought up by Laxus. Apparently we'd have only three hours, and we would have to search all over Magnolia City to find them. Despite our number advantage, this could get tricky. With that, Laxus and his henchmen disappeared in a flash of light. Most of the guild members were rushing outside, not wasting any time standing around in the guild hall. I wasn't sure if I should be leaving with the crowd, or to stay a little longer to maybe come up with a plan with those who remained here.

The guild master soon found out there was an enchantment cast all around the guild hall, preventing him from leaving to join in on the fight. I was amazed by the complexity of the enchantment; that such a thing was even possible. While thinking of a way to fight back against Laxus and his crew, the guild master noticed a particular large bodied wizard hiding behind one of the pillars in the guild hall. I had seen the man before, usually working on a painting or something. He was pretty well liked by most people in the guild, even though he didn't seem to be the type to go out on missions and do any fighting himself.

"Reedus. It's okay to be afraid of Laxus." The guild master calmly told him. "Go visit Porlyusica in the East Forest instead. She may have a remedy for petrification."

"Oui!" The wizard responded, still sounding a little afraid.

"Roth. Go with Reedus. Protect him in combat if anything happens on the way." The guild master said as he turned to me.

"You can count on me." I said, glad that I'd be able to help out in some way.

Together, Reedus and I left the guild building, unaffected by the effects of the enchantment.


	14. Chapter 14 - The Lightning Goes Down

.

 **CHAPTER 14  
THE LIGHTNING GOES DOWN**

As we ran through the streets of Magnolia, I saw people looking at us, confused about what was going on. They probably overheard some of the things that had happened in the guild hall. Not to mention the fact that the majority of the guild was combing the city, looking for Laxus.

In the distance I saw two Fairy Tail members caught inside a cage made of enchantments. What was going on? What's worse is that it looked as if they were fighting each other.

But we didn't have time to stand around; the guild master had sent us on a mission to go to the East Forest, there was no time to lose. However, just around the next corner we encountered another Fairy Tail wizard. He lied on the ground, all beaten up. He explained to us what happened to him. Apparently, these enchantments were made to trap members of Fairy Tail and force them to fight each other if they want to escape and continue their search for Laxus. How could they do this to their fellow guild members, I wondered. This goes against everything I've been told about Fairy Tail. We were supposed to be friends… family. Whoever this Laxus guy was, he sure as hell would pay for his crimes against the guild.

Sadly, we had to leave the guy behind; I hoped he'd be fine. It surprised me how little trouble Reedus had running all this time. Despite his huge body he was keeping up with me well. After the explanation we got of how the enchantments were working, we had decided to keep a fair distance between the two of us to prevent getting caught in a trap together. After a while, we finally made it outside the city. We'd probably be safe, this far away from the action. A little further out of the city, however, Reedus bumped into another invisible wall… letters appeared where the wall should have been. Oh, no, they placed a wall around the entire city? 

* * *

We both looked around, but saw no one else. Then, Freed showed up out of nowhere, between the two of us.

"My rules will not be disobeyed." He said, facing Reedus. Had he even noticed me standing behind him? "If you're a wizard, then fight. Demonstrate your strength to me!" Freed was challenging Reedus to a fight. This was the reason I had been sent with him… And so, I prepared myself. With some luck I could catch him by surprise from behind.

I silently cast Prequip onto myself, then concentrated on casting a Lightning Shock spell from my sword. Freed was still focused on Reedus who was backed against the invisible wall and had nowhere else to go. This way my chance! I fired off a Lightning Shock, but it went right through Freed and landed only centimetres away from where Reedus was standing. In an instant, Freed appeared behind me and slashed me with his sword.

"You posses Lightning magic, just like Laxus does?" Freed showed some surprise in his eyes. "…No, yours is different." He said to himself before I could reply.

I was lucky I turned around just in time to have my armoured shoulder pad protect me from his slash.

"I don't know who you are, or who this Laxus guy is. But I won't let you hurt Fairy Tail." I said, trying to sound brave, even though I felt outclassed by my opponent.

"What would you know about Fairy Tail, rookie?" Freed responded, not impressed with my talk. He then swiftly attacked me using his sword again. I had trouble keeping up with his movements. I managed to block some of his incoming strikes, but I was still getting hit way too much, I wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. Suddenly, I felt as if something pierced through my head, it lasted for only a split second. It was just like before… during that fight with those thugs.

"New technique! Photon Shield!"

As I spoke those words, a bubble of electricity appeared all around my body. Freed, who was right in front of me, got caught inside my shield and suffered damage from the electric particles continuously shocking him. He quickly jumped back to free himself from the pain. However, that was not the last of my new technique.

"Detonate Shield!"

I spread out my arms and the shield shattered in an explosion of light. The particles that previously formed the shield were now shaped as a large ring around me that quickly expanded outwards, growing weaker as it travelled outwards. Freed was caught by surprise in the shockwave of my spell and suffered from paralysation caused by the particles that had struck him.

"Get him now!" Reedus shouted at me while he was painting something. Seconds later, a second sword, similar to the one I was already wielding appeared in my other hand. Was this part of Reedus's magic? I felt more powerful with two swords in my hands, and made a charge at Freed. Right before my attack would land, he vanished again, then reappeared behind me, kicking me in the back. I was completely off-balance and fell face down onto the ground.

"Not even close, but nice try nonetheless." Freed said with a calm voice, not showing any signs of being hurt from my previous techniques. He pointed his sword at me, but I was out of energy to fight back. Reedus had also given up hope on being able to stand up against Fried and surrendered himself. With our defeat, Freed teleported away. 

* * *

"Hey! Can you hear me, everyone!?" A voice in my head said.

I opened my eyes; I found myself lying on the ground… The exact same spot where Freed had defeated me. Had I been unconscious? How long had I been down for? Reedus was sitting on a rock nearby, he looked like he was concentrating on something. Had he heard the voice, too?

"Everyone who's down for the count… get up now!" The voice continued.

I didn't understand, but I assumed this was one of our guild members speaking to us telepathically somehow. We were told to look up at the sky above the city, where a huge ring of floating lacrimas could be seen. "Laxus is going to use these to attack the city! There's no time! We need to destroy them all together!"

More voices started to talk telepathically in my head. Apparently, the Fairy Tail girls had been turned back to normal during the time I had been unconscious for, and they were all doing fine. What a relief!

The fact that everyone was able to participate in the telepathic communication began to backfire when the guild members started to use it as a method to complain to those who had beaten them up inside the enchantment cages earlier. Not seconds later, my head was filled with angry voices, blaming their fellow guild members for getting hurt. This wasn't working out well.

"Listen, everyone!" I could hear Lucy's voice speaking. Everyone else went quiet. "This is no time for arguing! The citizens will be in danger unless we do something! We all have to work together to protect the town of Magnolia!" She paused for a moment. "I only joined Fairy Tail just recently, but I'm confident I love this guild as much as everyone else. Fairy Tail has always been my dream! I looked up to it. And I still do… Please, let's all work together and protect our guild… and our town!"

Everyone seemed to be convinced by Lucy's speech. She was totally right… about Fairy Tail, and about the situation. The only way we could win this fight was if we all worked together. Everyone was getting ready to deal with the lightning lacrimas.

I Prequipped myself with Lightning Battler gear and charged up multiple Lightning Shock spells. Fire! I shot several bolts of lightning at once to destroy up to three lacrimas with. That same moment, I saw hundreds of other weapons, magical projectiles and beams coming from everywhere in the city, destroying all the other lacrimas. It looked like we were successful in our mission. Sparkling dust caused by the destruction of the lacrimas was raining down all over the city.

Seconds later, my whole body was struck by a powerful electric shock. What was that all about? I was lucky to have some sort of resistance against electric type attacks, thanks to my magic, or else that would have hurt me a lot more. I saw lightning strikes appear everywhere in the city… Were the others getting hurt by the same kind of shock? Reedus, who was nearby and had also helped destroy a few lacrimas, seemed like he got hurt as well. He looked happy, though. I couldn't help but smile, too. We showed Laxus that Fairy Tail is not to be messed with! Now that I was thinking of Laxus, what had happened to him? Weren't we supposed to defeat him in battle?

With the girls having been cured from petrification, Reedus and I decided to return to the city, as there was no longer any need for us to go to the East Forest. It looked as if we arrived late to the party; Laxus had already been defeated by the time we made it back. Natsu and Gajeel were both in bad shape, but at least they were still alive. Apparently Gajeel had played a major role in taking down Laxus, and the guild members, for once, were showing their appreciation to him. I was glad to see him becoming more accepted with the other members. Despite him being in such bad state, he looked more alive than I had seen him like since I joined the guild. He must have really enjoyed that fight.

Aside from Natsu and Gajeel, who both got wrapped in bandages from top to toe to cover all their injuries by Mirajane, most others in the guild were doing reasonably fine. I had some bruises and scratches from my fight with Freed, but nothing really bad. 

* * *

The guild hall was filled with people celebrating the victory over Laxus and his crew. People were drinking, laughing, and, for once, no one was starting a fight. I wasn't really in the mood to participate in the festivities and sat at a table by myself in one of the corners. Thoughts of my fight against Freed were popping up in my head and wouldn't leave me. I had not really done anything that deserved celebration. The guild master had trusted me, despite my rookie status, with the mission of protecting Reedus from harm, but I had failed in doing so. What good was I if I wasn't able to do anything… By having Freed left standing I had others having to clean up behind me.

I looked up at the crowd partying in the centre of the guild hall; everyone seemed to be having fun. I had been member of Fairy Tail for only just over one week, but I loved this guild and its members. If I wanted to become a worthy member of the guild, I needed to become stronger. I wanted to be helpful, like the others.

Still, strength wasn't the only thing that mattered as a member of Fairy Tail I remembered when I looked at the others again. Then, what was I doing here, sitting all by myself, thinking depressing thoughts. This wasn't the time for such things… I was part of the guild, too. I got up and joined my guildmates, replacing my gloomy thoughts with happier ones. Today was a day to be celebrated.

That same evening, there was a huge parade going through the city. All of the Fairy Tail members joined, including Natsu, despite his poor condition and being covered all over in bandages. I was asked to provide fireworks using my Lightning magic. It was great to be a part of this event, seeing all the citizens laughing and cheering. So much had happened today, that I felt like I was going to pass out at the end of it all.


	15. Chapter 15 - Natsu's Resolution

.

 **CHAPTER 15  
NATSU'S RESOLUTION**

One week had passed since Laxus had attempted to break Fairy Tail. On his day of defeat, he had shown up in the guild hall to speak with the guild master, who ended up exiling him from Fairy Tail. He had left the city, leaving his crew behind. In the end, Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen were forgiven, and remained members of Fairy Tail, and now, with their leader gone, regularly visited the guild hall again.

… fourty-six, fourty-seven, fourty-eight, fourty-nine… fifty! I finished doing my push ups for today. Ever since my loss against Freed, I had started to train daily. Not just my magic; if I ever wanted to become useful to my fellow guild members, I realised I needed to be in better physical condition as well. And so, every morning, before heading to the guild hall for breakfast, I did an hour of physical exercises.

This whole week I hadn't shown my face much at the guild hall, and when I did, it often had been during the quieter times of the day. It had also been some time since my last job request. I had been spending most of my free time either practising my spell casting techniques or reading in the library, thirsty for more information and knowledge about all sorts of magic. I knew so little due to having my memories erased.

However, I was still tight on money, and I had yet to gather the money to pay for next month's rent… 

* * *

Knock, knock.

"Come in." I said as I finished doing some sit ups. Who would visit me this early in the morning? I hadn't invited anyone to my apartment yet since I'd moved in.

Lucy came in, with Natsu and Happy right behind her.

"Good morning, Roth!" Lucy said with a smile on her face. "I hope we don't bother you for visiting this early?"

"Nice place you got here!" Natsu said as he looked around, holding his hands behind his head.

"I was planning on coming alone, but Natsu insisted on joining me." Lucy apologised to me.

"No worries. What are you guys here for?" I asked, having already forgotten about Lucy's offer from last week.

"Remember when I asked you if you wanted to come with us on our next job? We picked one and are ready to go when you are."

"Oh, right. I would love to come." I answered as I suddenly remembered.

"Hey, what's this?" Natsu picked up a book from the table in my room and examined its cover.

"It's about Dragons, aye?" Happy said, floating right behind him.

"Don't tell me you're a Dragon Slayer, too!?" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.

"O–Of course not." I hastily responded. "But you are one, correct? Lucy has told me about you."

Natsu's eyes lit up.

"Anyway, shouldn't we be getting ready to leave? Roth, are you ready?" Lucy interrupted our conversation to get back to business, probably in fear of Natsu wrecking the place if he were to give a demonstration of his powers here.

"I am. Is there anything I need to bring?"

"Natsu and I have already prepared for the journey, right, Natsu?" Lucy asked, trying to distract his thoughts.

"Ready as could be. Wait… what are we doing again?" Natsu looked confused.

Lucy sighed.

"Okay, let's go, everyone!" She then said, refusing to be further slowed down by Natsu's denseness. 

* * *

According to Lucy, our mission objective was somewhere inside some ancient ruins, not too far from Oshibana Town. We would take the train to get there. As soon as the train departed, Natsu fell off his seat and began rolling over the ground, his face all swollen and purple looking.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked Lucy in surprise.

"Don't pay attention to Natsu… he always gets like that when riding a vehicle." Lucy said with a weak smile. She seemed slightly embarrassed about her teammate

"Urgh...! I can't… help it! Natsu cried while lying on the floor. He looked quite helpless.

"What is our objective?" I asked Lucy. I had agreed to join her and Natsu on the job, but I actually had no idea what we were doing.

"We are to investigate the ruins located here." Lucy took a map of the area from her purse and pointed at the location where we had to go. "Supposedly there is a treasure hidden in one of the tombstones in the deepest parts of the ruins."

"What's the pay?"

"Eight-hundred-thousand Jewel."

I couldn't believe it. That much money for a simple treasure hunt? "What's the catch?" I asked, interested in more information.

"Well, according to our client, the place is haunted. I have done a little bit of research, and from what I could gather, it was nothing but some silly folklore surrounding the place. With some luck we'll be back with the treasure before the end of the day." Lucy said with a laugh. It looked like she had faith in our client being wrong about the rumours of hauntings in those ruins. I hoped she was right as I leaned back in my seat, processing the information Lucy had provided regarding our mission. 

* * *

After a couple of hours we finally arrived in Oshibana Town. Natsu recovered shortly after the train had stopped, but he was still complaining about not feeling well. We decided to first get some lunch before heading to the ruins. We found a nice restaurant near the town square.

"You really don't remember about your past?" Natsu asked me out of nowhere.

"Right. Why?"

For some reason Natsu seemed down by hearing my answer. Was he pitying me? Why was he bringing this up now?

"It's just… I can't imagine a life without a past." Natsu said with his eyes closed.

I had nothing to say to that. While it still bothered me my mind went blank whenever I attempted to think back about before I woke up in Fairy Tail, I had slowly been getting used to it and learned to accept my situation.

"I have decided." Natsu said after a short pause. Lucy and I both looked at him, wondering what he was on about. "We'll help you get your memories back, uhm… What was your name again?"

"Roth."

"Ah, yeah! Roth it was!" Natsu said cheerfully, trying to hide his embarassment behind a laugh.

I appreciated Natsu's eagerness to help me find out about my past, but I had my doubts about him being able to fulfil this promise. The guild master had told me this problem was mine to solve; there wasn't anything he could do. If even the guild master could not help me, then how could Natsu? 

* * *

We were about to finish our lunch, when Natsu started to look around, scanning the surroundings, as if he was looking for something.

"I smell something weird." He said warily. "…Something vaguely familiar."

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused by how Natsu could be alarmed so easily by some kind of smell.

"We're being followed." He stated after a short while.

"Any idea who it could be?" Lucy asked, hoping to get more information out of him.

"Dunno. But if they show up, I'll just kick their butts." Natsu replied, more casually than you'd expect to hear from someone who claims to being followed by something or someone unknown.

Happy had flown upwards, taking a look at the town square from above, but came down a little later, reporting he hadn't seen anything that looked suspicious.

We ignored Natsu's mention of being followed for the time being and prepared to continue our journey. Lucy said it would be about a one hour walk from the town to the ruins where we needed to be.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea if we first ask some of the locals about these ruins?" I suggested. "We have very little information to go by as it stands."

"Good thinking, Roth." Lucy said, approving of my idea.

"Do we need to? We'll just go in there, grab whatever we need and return for the reward." Natsu groaned, seemingly not very interested in the idea of gathering more information.

We went around and asked a few people here and there, but they either didn't know a thing about the ruins, or we got told vague stories, like anyone that enters the ruins never returned again. What exactly the history behind this place was, or what was inside these ruins, no one seemed to know.

We still didn't know much about what was waiting for us in the ruins, and the little that we did get from the locals, didn't make it seem like it was a nice place to visit. Regardless, we had a job to do, and seeing how much money it would earn us, there was no way we would turn back now.


	16. Chapter 16 - Tomb Raiders

.

 **CHAPTER 16  
TOMB RAIDERS**

Lucy's estimation about the travelling time was quite accurate. It had barely been over an hour since we left Oshibana Town behind us, when the ruins came in sight. There were some broken pillars covered by roots and moss, this place must have been abandoned for centuries. The entrance was a small, stone building, surrounded by trees and bushes. Inside, there was a staircase leading down; it seemed the greater part of the ruins here were built underground. Lucy took a torch, and handed me one as well, which Natsu both lit using his Fire magic.

The staircase had roots growing all over it, making it easy to make a misstep. I was going to warn Natsu and Lucy about it, but I was too late. Lucy stumbled over a root and rolled down the stairs, letting out an "Ow!" with every step she hit on her way down.

"You okay, Lucy?" Natsu asked, looking down at where she had fallen.

"Uh… yeah. I think so" Her voice was weak. "Wait, I'm seeing something."

"What? It's all dark down there." Natsu said. He and I both stood near the top of the staircase, still close to the ruins' entrance.

"Aaagh!" Lucy screamed, and came running back up. She instantly hid behind Natsu's back. "Th–There's skeletons!"

Something from down the staircase came flying into our direction. It looked like a floating skull. Did things like this really exist? I took a step back. It then dropped the skull, and revealed Happy flying behind it.

"You're way too easily scared, Lucy!" Happy teased her and laughed.

"Don't go flying around with skulls on your head, you stupid cat!" Lucy responded angrily, waving her fist at Happy. She then paused and sighed. At least she hadn't been attacked by a real skeleton. 

* * *

More carefully this time, we safely made our way down to the bottom of the staircase. Lucy picked up the torch she had dropped after her fall earlier. The floor here was scattered with bones and skulls and the air felt different down here… it was heavy, applying slight pressure on all of us, and making it slightly harder to breathe normally.

From where we were standing there was only way forward. A long, straight corridor lied stretched out before us; the walls decorated with skulls and stones with strange writing on them none of us could read. We just followed the path in the corridor, cautious where we were placing our feet in case there would be hidden traps.

"How long is this corridor supposed to be?" Natsu started to complain after a while.

"I–I don't know, actually." Lucy responded. "How long have we been walking for?"

"I haven't kept up with the time… but it's been at least ten minutes if I had to guess." I said.

The corridor was still exactly the same as it looked when we first got there and there didn't seem to be an end in sight yet. Were we trapped inside some kind of spatial loop? No… that would be absurd, but knowing what some magic was capable of, it wasn't entirely beyond of the realm of possibility either.

"I'm going to try something." I said as I raised my hand, preparing to fire a Lightning Shock aimed straight forward.

The bolt of lightning I shot from my hand vanished in the darkness of the corridor. Then, seconds later it re-appeared behind us, hitting Natsu in the back, shocking him on impact.

"Hey, what was that for!?" He growled at me.

"Th–This tunnel is going round?" Lucy said, realising what had just happened. "But if Roth's Lightning Shock came back from behind us, then, how we do we return to the entrance?"

Natsu ran off, back to where we came from, leaving us behind. He was swallowed up by the darkness. Moments later he reappeared, coming from the other side of the tunnel.

"How did you guys get here so fast!?" He exclaimed in shock, pointing at us.

"We didn't, you moron. You came back from the other side… meaning we are stuck in some kind of loop." Lucy explained, sounding a little impatiently.

"Natsu! I don't wanna be stuck with Lucy for the rest of my life!" Happy cried.

"Get here, you!" Lucy shrieked and the two went running in circles.

"There's no way I'm gonna be stuck in some lousy tunnel!" Natsu roared, stomping his feet and breathing fire in frustration. "If moving back– and forward isn't getting us anywhere, then I'll just tunnel down!" Natsu decided on his own, and proceeded to furiously punch the ground. The tiles covering the floor of the corridor were brittle, and even the ground below proved to be no match for Natsu's superior digging skills. Then, the ground beneath us started to shake. Before we could move away, the entire floor fell down, along with us still standing on it. 

* * *

After the dust of our landing had cleared, we found ourselves standing in a big, open cave. The ceiling was at least several metres high, and torches lit with ghastly blue flames were lighting the rock walls. In the centre of this cave, there was an stone altar with a coffin lying on top of it, surrounded by a bunch of candles, all lit by the same blue kind of flames.

We cautiously approached the altar, gazing at the mysterious coffin. Why was this here… it didn't seem to make any sense.

"Hold it right there." A male voice coming from behind us said.

"So, you amateurs did manage to find the tomb of Glaiviel, one of the Ancient Kings." A female voice continued after him.

We turned around and saw two figures standing in front of us. They had no weapons on them, but it would be safe to assume these weren't just regular people. These were most likely wizards, like us.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked warily, already taking on a combat pose, ready to defend what we suspected to be our objective.

"If you leave now, we'll promise not to harm you." The female said, though going by the tone of her voice, I didn't think she was to be trusted on keeping her word.

"Yeah, right. We're here for our guild job. There's no way we're gonna let you interfere with our mission." Natsu growled as he took a step forward and lit up his fists with fire.

"Natsu… Dragneel, isn't it?" The male calmly asked, not bothered at all by Natsu's aggressive responses.

"Supposedly one of the strongest wizards of Fairy Tail…" The female followed up. "The other two are of no concern to us."

Natsu's patience had run out, and he stormed straight at the two opposing wizards. His fist went straight through the stomach of the woman, but there came no sound out of her. A moment later her body shattered into tiny pieces that looked sharp as glass, and some of which cut through Natsu's arm. Natsu ignored the disappearance of the female, and directed his attack at the male wizard this time instead. He moved away, but still got grazed by the flames surrounding Natsu's fist. At this moment, a copy of the male wizard appeared right next to him. The female version reappeared from behind a pillar, laughing at Natsu, who had no clue what was going on now. A moment later, a second version that looked exactly the same as the first one followed.

"Hit me as much as you can." The male taunted Natsu.

"No need to tell me to, that's exactly what I was gonna do." Natsu smirked. "I'm all fired up now!" He made another attack aimed at both male figures. As they got hit by Natsu's blows, they each made another copy of themselves appear. And with each copy of the male wizard made this way, the female was creating copies of herself. Natsu wasn't giving up, and kept on hitting them. It didn't take long until entire cave was filled with copies of both enemy wizards.

"Ahahaha! Which one of us is the real one?" All of the clones said in unison.

"Natsu, watch out!" Lucy tried to warn him.

At this moment, all clones began to mobilise and charged at Natsu, who was out of breath, as one. A gigantic pile of bodies covered Natsu. The clones flashed brightly and exploded not shortly after. Natsu was caught inside the mass explosion without a way to defend himself, and had gotten severely injured by the glass– like shards that had been scattered by the blast.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" Lucy ran up to him and looked at the many wounds all over his body. Natsu was in bad shape. "Please, rest for a bit… Roth and I will deal with these."

I could see burning determination in Natsu's eyes, he didn't want to give in yet. Should I back up Lucy in trying to get Natsu to stay back for a while? I had no idea how strong he really was, but looking at the poor state he was in, I didn't think it'd be wise for him to go for another round.

"I agree with Lucy. Even if you would be able to take these out on your own, you'd be losing a lot of blood." I said to back up Lucy. "Please have faith in us."

Natsu tried to stand up, but in his current state, he had trouble keeping himself on his feet. 

* * *

"Lucy, I think I know how to defeat them… and I think you do, too." I said to Lucy, who was offering support to Natsu to help him keep standing up.

Lucy nodded with determination. It was clear she knew what we had to do to win this fight. She took one of her keys from her pouch.

"Open, Gate of the Horseman! Sagittarius!"

A man wearing a silly looking horse costume and wielding bow and arrow appeared.

"Hello!" He saluted us as he made his appearance.

"Shoot at those people over there!" Lucy commanded him and pointed at the enemy.

"It shall be done, hello!"

I Prequipped myself with the Lightning Battler gear and fired Lightning Shock spells at the two wizards, who began to produce clones of themselves again as we continued to strike them.

"You don't learn, do you?" One of them shouted at us, amused that we were activating their duplication abilities again. Quickly, the cave was filling up with their clones again, ready to charge at us for another huge explosion. This was going to be the point where our plan would come into action.

Lucy called back Sagittarius and took another key. She dipped the key in a small pool of muddy cave water.

"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"

This time, a mermaid holding an ornate urn in her hands appeared.

"Huh… what is this filthy water you summoned me from? The next time you can't find a proper place with clean water to use to summon me from and I'll kill you." She glared at Lucy with furious eyes, and Lucy hastily apologised to her, promising her that it wouldn't happen again.

"Aquarius, I want you to create a giant whirlpool… please!" Lucy then begged her.

The mermaid began to flood the entire cave with water which she then formed into an all-consuming maelstrom. I could make my way onto higher ground just in time to not get caught up in the raging torrent. This next part would be up to me.

"New Advanced Lightning Technique! Mega Teslas Blade!"

A magic circle appeared right above the whirlpool and turned into a portal from which the blade of a gigantic sword came crashing down into the ground. I had both my hands aimed at the sword that was stuck in the ground in the centre of the maelstrom, in which all the clones were being pulled into. Lightning then came from the blade from every direction, striking the clones and the torrent of water swirling around them.

Clones were shattered in masses as more kept popping up inside the maelstrom, as they continued to get struck by the lightning coming from the blade in the centre. This should be enough. The blade exploded in a flash of light, shattering all the remaining clones; this time, no new ones appeared. As the cave was cleared from the clones, Aquarius called back the water.

"Don't call me for a while. I'm going on vacation with my boyfriend." She said to Lucy who didn't look too well. Apparently she had been caught by the torrent and suffered from a good amount of electric shocks. "With my boyfriend." Aquarius repeated before disappearing.

"I heard you the first time! And be more careful with who you wash away with that water!" Lucy scolded her, but she was already gone. 

* * *

Natsu had been lifted up in the air by Happy, just before the cave got flooded, and was now put back on the ground. "Awesome! I didn't know you were this strong, Roth!" Natsu yelled cheerfully.

I was glad he acknowledged my power, but if he truly was the one who defeated Laxus, I knew I still had a long way to go to be able to match him.

Before us, the two enemy wizards were down on their knees, breathing heavily. It looked like our strategy had worked: to overload their copying mechanics, effectively draining them from their magic at a pace they couldn't keep up with.

"So… you aren't just a look–alike. You're the real…" The male wizard said.

"How can this be… You were supposed to be dead." The female continued.

"To think we would meet you here of all places…"

"We need to report this to our master."

With that, the two wizards teleported out of the cave.

"Th–They knew you, Roth?" Lucy asked surprised.

"Apparently so. I sure didn't recognise either of them, nor do I know who their master is." I answered.

"No point in worrying about that now." Natsu said. "We still have this job to complete."

Lucy and I both agreed with his words. Without any further information to work with, there was no point in dwelling on what those two had said. It was time to get the treasure we were meant to collect and get out of this place.

I removed the lid of the coffin. Inside, the body of a dead man was found. His entire body was wrapped in bandages. It looked slightly creepy. It held a small, mysterious looking crystal in its hands, about the size of a marble. Inside of it, the image of a starry sky could be seen. It was quite an otherworldly sight, as if a miniature universe was contained within the object itself. As soon as I took it from its place, the crystal turned dull. The stars that were visible just earlier were gone now; it looked like an ordinary crystal... had it lost its power?

"That's it?" Natsu said, unimpressed.

"It's the only thing we found here that even looks like it could classify as treasure…" Lucy said, a little doubtful about this whole thing.

"You didn't even know what we were supposed to be looking for in the first place?" Natsu complained.

"It's not like he gave me a description of what it was supposed to look like…" Lucy mumbled, defending herself.

"Never mind. Lucy's right, this is the only treasure we've found here. We might as well assume this is the thing our client was requesting from us." I said in an attempt to cool down those two. "Shall we return, then, and claim our reward?" I continued cheerfully. 

* * *

Back in Oshibana Town we looked for the house of our client. But when we finally got there, we found it surrounded by soldiers who didn't want us to get closer to it.

"What happened here?" Lucy asked, but the guards didn't seem to be in the mood to answer questions.

"We need to be here for a guild job contract." Natsu said, not sounding too happy to be held up by a bunch of soldiers who wouldn't give us any information.

"Forget about your mission, whoever you are. The owner of this place was found dead not an hour ago, we are still investigating the situation. In the meantime, we cannot allow anyone to enter." An officer said, approaching us from behind.

"What!?" Lucy exclaimed in shock at hearing the unfortunate news.

"Dead? Could the two wizards from earlier behind this murder?" Natsu said, thinking out loud.

"And just before we were able to collect our reward, too…" I said, disheartened by all of this.

Without being able to do any more, we decided to travel back to Magnolia Town. The way our mission had come to an end had us feeling a little down. Our client had apparently been murdered by some unknown person, and we hadn't been able to collect our eight-hundred-thousand Jewel reward. All we received for our troubles was a tiny, lousy crystal that seemed to have lost its powers after it had been taken by us from its mysterious resting place.


	17. Chapter 17 - Trio Of Destruction

.

 **CHAPTER 17  
TRIO OF DESTRUCTION**

I felt refreshed after a good night's sleep. In fact, I felt great. Putting my depression of not getting a reward for the mission behind me, I was so glad that I had been able to make the difference in a battle yesterday. Sure, it was thanks to Natsu for taking the hits early on in the fight, allowing for Lucy and me to figure out the strategy to defeat our enemies, but I had still played an important role in our victory. Natsu even had to admit that my technique was pretty awesome. Hearing that from someone who's considered to be one of the strongest in the guild made me really happy. That meant the training I had been doing was starting to pay off. I was lying on my couch with a huge smile on my face, thinking about the progress I made so far. This wouldn't mean I could start slacking off now… No, this only motivated me to try harder and reach new heights. I jumped off the couch and began doing my morning exercises.

Having done these for a whole week straight I could already notice myself improving. I was much less tired after finishing than when I had first started doing them. After I was done, I found the tiny crystal from yesterday's mission lying on my table… Natsu and Lucy had let me keep it. Even with its mysterious look faded away it looked kind of nice, I thought. I decided to make a necklace for it and wear it as a trophy, and as a memory of my first mission I did with those two.

When I arrived at the guild hall that morning, a bunch of guild members were gathered in a spot, looking at a huge magic diagram drawn in the air. Curious as to what was going on, I joined the crowd. Mirajane was explaining about Dark Guilds and their growing activity. According to her, one of the main guilds that was shown on the diagram, the Oración Seis, was on the move, and Fairy Tail had been given the task to wipe them out.

The guild master then appeared and told us Fairy Tail would, in fact, be working together with three other guilds: Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Cait Shelter. Each of these guilds would select members of their respective guilds and work together to take down the Oración Seis. This sounded exciting; I kind of hoped I could be part of that group.

That hope, however, was soon crushed when the guild master announced who would be sent to represent Fairy Tail… and it didn't include me. Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Erza were the chosen ones to go on this mission. Of course, they were the strongest team of all in Fairy Tail after all.

After Team Natsu left the guild, on the way to their mission location, and the excitement in the guild hall had died down, I approached the guild master.

"Master, Isn't there any way I could perhaps join them?" I asked, wanting to get involved with this operation.

"Good timing, Roth. I have another task for you in mind, Roth" The guild master turned around, facing me. "As well as for Gajeel and Juvia." Both of them looked up when the guild master mentioned their names, and came closer to listen to what he had to say.

"What is it that you want from us, Master?" Juvia asked, curious about what our task would be.

"Both of you are experienced dealing with smaller Dark Guilds. I want you to make sure these guilds get disabled, to prevent them from potentially joining forces with the Oración Seis during this whole operation." The guild master explained as he showed us a map with a number of marks on it, presumably the locations of the smaller Dark Guilds that were our targets.

"Geh, consider it done." Gajeel gave him a confident smile. 

* * *

We didn't waste any time hanging around after getting our assignment from the guild master. Obviously, the idea behind this plan was to strike swiftly, shortly before or during the main operation, to ensure the Dark Guilds would not have proper time to respond. After grabbing breakfast, we took our leave and went straight to our first target. There were at least like eight different spots marked on the map, with two of them in the vicinity of Magnolia Town, which is where we would go to first.

Neither Gajeel nor Juvia were very talkative during the walk to our first target. I had learned they were in the same guild before joining Fairy Tail; I found it strange that neither of the two had any interest in talking with the other. I didn't feel like striking up a conversation myself, so I just quietly followed the two to wherever they wanted to go next. I wondered if Natsu and the others would be all right. After all, the Oración Seis was supposedly one of the strongest Dark Guilds in existence, despite having only six members. I really wanted to join the main operation, but I knew my magic powers were still underdeveloped. I was also still just a new member… I could understand they'd rather send some member they were familiar with. Still, I was glad I was being trusted with the completion of this mission. Even if I wasn't able to fight alongside Natsu and the others against the main bad guys, I could still be of use to them by taking out some of the smaller guilds. It also meant that the guild master had at least some faith in me and my skills…

"We're here." Gajeel said all of a sudden. I hadn't been paying much attention to where we had been going all this time. We stood in front of a fairly large wooden building in the middle of the forest. It didn't look like it was been taken care of very well, but voices could be hear from inside, meaning there was some activity in there.

"Juvia knows what to do." Juvia said without showing much emotion, and surrounded herself with a veil of water.

Gajeel and Juvia stormed inside without waiting for me. They didn't bother with introducing themselves, nor with giving any of the people inside a chance to react to what was going on. Gajeel thrashed the place using his arm made of iron, and Juvia prevented the enemy wizards from counterattacking by imprisoning them inside spheres of water. The assault lasted only a couple of minutes, after which the entire building was reduced to a pile of broken wood planks and all of its members lying on the ground, unconscious. The guild master wasn't kidding when he said Gajeel and Juvia were experienced Dark Guild busters.

"The next one is about an hour walking from here." Gajeel said after examining the map, already ready for the next target.

Juvia silently nodded and followed.

These guys were monsters… I sure was glad they're on my side, I thought and shivered as I looked at them from behind. I'll have to try to keep up with them so I can get in some hits in too, though. They probably don't need me for this job, but that doesn't mean I can't contribute. At the very least, I could maybe help them speed up the process.

The second target went down just as easily. I managed to get in a few Lightning Shock spells before Gajeel and Juvia had destroyed everything in sight. Most of the people in these guilds didn't even appear to be wizards. They relied on primitive weaponry or cheap lacrimas containing spells. They reminded me somewhat of the thugs that ambushed me on my first solo job.

"It would be best if we split up from here." Gajeel suggested. "I'll take the route to the left, you two take the right, understood?" Just take this path, then move straight that way." he said as he pointed at places on the map. "We'll meet up to take out the last target together here. Got that?"

"You can count on Juvia." She said, acknowledging Gajeel's plan.

With that, Gajeel took the path eastward, leaving me alone with Juvia. 

* * *

Juvia was still as quiet as she was earlier with Gajeel around. I didn't know whether it would be a good idea to even try to have a conversation with her. The little I had seen of her in the guild hall, she usually seemed to be busy stalking Gray, as if she never had anything else on her mind. Just what went on in that head of hers… No, I didn't think I'd want to know.

It suddenly started raining.

"Oh, if only my lovely Gray could be with Juvia now." She wailed, talking to herself.

I was starting to feel creeped out by her. Why had Gajeel wanted me to go with this weird girl…

"We would have a romantic time together. Juvia would let him hold her, and –"

She made a little dance, but slipped over a round stone and fell face down in a puddle of water.

"…" I silently waited for her to get back up.

"Juvia is sorry… for getting carried away by her fantasies. Let's resume our mission." She said softly, looking a little embarrassed. Her face was all wet and muddy, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it.

A while later we arrived at our next target. A big cave in a mountainous area had been transformed into the entrance to this guild's hall. Outside of the cave there were some creepy looking totems and torches to mark the area. Juvia and I sneaked closer to the entrance. Being able to take the enemy by surprise had proven to be the most effective way to eliminating these smaller Dark Guilds. Beat them up before they have the chance to retaliate. There was a warm glow coming from inside the cave, and we could hear some voices. As we stood there nearby the entrance I figured what would be the best way to go about this. The previous raids were led by Gajeel with Juvia following him. Was Juvia expecting me to take on Gajeel's role? She stood beside me, not moving at all, probably waiting for me to make the first move. I began to feel anxious about this whole thing…

I closed my eyes and tried to relax myself. Then I planned the course of action out in my head. I'll storm their entrance with Juvia behind me. At this point, they shouldn't know what's going on yet. Then I Prequip myself – No, wait… I should Prequip myself before going in. Once I enter their guild hall I'll initiate with some Lightning–

"Juvia is ready to go. Why are we taking so long?" Juvia asked, interrupting my thought process.

"Gah, fine! Let's do this!" I said, and ran up to the cave entrance. I could hear Juvia following me.

Inside the cave, there were a bunch of rough looking men sitting at some tables. There was a fire in the middle of their guild hall. I froze, and stopped in front of them; I blanked out... In what order was I going to do things again? They all looked at me for a moment, then realised we were an enemy that needed to be eliminated, and grabbed their weapons.

"Juvia is waiting for you to initiate battle." Juvia sounded a little uneasy. She was clearly not used to working with someone like me. Normally she would act as a secondary attacker behind Gajeel during these kind of missions, but with him gone, she was out of her element.

"Right…" I regained my senses and cast Prequip onto myself. "Get ready!" I shouted.

I kicked a few of the men who got up close backward; I needed more space to cast my spells. Unfortunately, they kept on coming at me, swinging their weapons. I never practised much swordplay, and so I had trouble defending myself from incoming attacks. Juvia had figured out she couldn't rely on me leading the assault and began to take action herself. She used water to swipe away some of the attackers to give me some breathing room.

"Photon Shield!" I cast an electric shield that surrounded my body and would help stun anyone who would come close to me now. Slowly, we were finally pushing them back. Juvia unleashed a tidal wave inside their guild hall, washing them all away, while I followed it up with my Detonate Shield spell to take out the stragglers.

It sure wasn't as smooth of a raid as the ones earlier with Gajeel at our side, but at least we'd made it. One down, one more to go before meeting up with Gajeel again.

I knew I really had to work on spending less time thinking before going into battle. Every fight I've had so far had me waiting and hesitating before I could activate myself to do something. There's no point in becoming stronger if I keep having doubts about myself.

We took a short lunch break to eat, drink and rest before we would continue to the next location. I had brought a few crackers from our guild hall, since Gajeel had let us known he didn't want to waste any time on buying supplies or other things. He was taking this whole thing pretty serious, but I guessed he just wanted us to get this over with before as quickly as possible. Of course, the more time there would be between our raids, the bigger the chance would be of news of our rampage spreading, thus giving our targets time to escape or bolster their defences.


	18. Chapter 18 - Banish The Darkness

.

 **CHAPTER 18  
BANISH THE DARKNESS**

"Come, Juvia. Let's move on to our next location." I said to her as I got up and attempted to take on the leader's role. Juvia, however, was still sitting there, nibbling on a cracker and staring at the ground in front of her. Had she not heard me?

"Yo, Juvia… you're there?"

It took her a second or so, but she finally looked up with a look in her eyes as if she had just woken up from a dream.

"Sorry… Juvia was lost in thought about her love, Gray. Yes, Juvia is ready to continue." She finally got up and followed.

She still creeped me out, but curiosity finally got the best of me; I could no longer resist asking. "What is it about Gray that you like so much?" I knew I had made a grave mistake before I'd even finished my question. But there was no going back now.

"What, you ask? Why, everything of course. Juvia loves him, from the way he looks, to how he talks, to how he takes off his clothes (he does it for her, Juvia's sure of it!)" She answered with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Juvia hopes her dear Gray will one day notice her. When he does, he will see how much she loves him…"

She was absolutely hopeless. I already regretted ever asking her about her obsession, but I had to endure it for now.

"… and then, Gray will fall hopelessly in love with Juvia; she would be the happiest woman on this planet. We'll get married and have a bunch of kids…"

It was impossible to get anything of sense out of her, so I tried to ignore her the best I could for the time being. For the next hour or so she wouldn't keep her mouth shut about Gray. 

* * *

After some time walking, we made it to the next target location. Juvia was finally back to being her quiet self, making it easier for me to concentrate on the job. I had been mentally preparing myself for this part. I knew what to do. I felt more confident than the first time around. Once again, Juvia was beside me, waiting for me to make the first move.

I cast Prequip, then I made my way to the entrance of our target. Before anyone inside the guild hall could react, I threw my sword in the centre of it as I entered, and cast Teslas Blade. Lightning sparked from the blade of the sword through the guild hall into every direction. The Dark Guild members were completely taken by surprise and got downed by the two of us before they got the chance to fight back. Juvia's mighty waves crashed throughout the guild hall and tore it apart.

"You have improved." Juvia stated, not showing much emotion, not in her voice, nor in expression, after finishing our clean up job.

She was correct; this one had gone a hundred times better than the previous one we did together. All I needed was just more confidence in my own abilities. Juvia and I had finished our portion of the part we split up for. Next for us would be moving on to the rendezvous point, where Gajeel would join us again, and then take out the last Dark Guild on the list with the three of us.

I wondered how well Gajeel was making progress on his part. He had gone on his own, and had three Dark Guilds on his path, one more than us. Would we finish before he did? Probably not, I thought, seeing how much I messed up the first raid...

After an hour or two, we drew near the place where we would meet up with the other party.

"Oi! Over here!" Gajeel said with muted voice. He was hiding behind some big tree. Juvia and I joined him in his hiding spot.

"Word must have reached our final target. Instead of fleeing, they seem to hope to create some counterattack against us. A powerful wizard, Gorm, entered their guild hall not an hour ago." Gajeel explained to us the situation.

"What's the plan?" I asked him.

"I'll create a distraction at the entrance. You two make your way through the roof and attack them from above." His words were accompanied by a visualisation of the plan that he drew in the sand using a tree branch. "Don't worry about Gorm, I'll deal with him. I want you two to take out the small fry. Understood?"

"Juvia thinks your drawings look worse than what she did as a child." Juvia stated dryly.

Gajeel looked like he wanted to punch her in the face for that remark, but he decided not to. After all, he still needed her as part of the plan. 

* * *

The guild hall was surrounded by several big trees, which Juvia and I used to climb our way on top of the guild building. The roof was made of wood, but it was in poor state. Large parts of it were old and rotten; it shouldn't be too hard to create a hole to get through. Once we got in position, we signalled Gajeel, who was still a distance away. Now it was waiting for him to draw the guild's attention. After Gajeel reached the entrance, it didn't take long before things got rowdy.

Juvia didn't hesitate for a moment and created a hole in the roof, using her magic to create a high pressure blast made of water, and jumped right in. I followed after her and prepared myself with Prequip as I jumped down. The whole guild hall was in turmoil, but it didn't seem as if Gajeel had things under control as much as he'd planned. There were several enemy wizards holding their ground against him and prevented him from advancing on to Gorm.

Juvia and I landed right in the middle of the guild hall. Most of the enemy guild members were either wiped out by Gajeel's opening strike or still fighting against him. Behind us stood Gorm with an evil grin on his face, as if he had been expecting us. With Gajeel struggling for control near the entrance, it would be up to Juvia and me to take out the big boss.

I felt more confident about my skills now, this time I would not waver – This time, I would be the one to deal the first strike. I launched a Lightning Shock spell and then charged at him, ready to take him on in a close range fight with my sword.

The evil wizard simply sidestepped my attack and then immediately cast a spell at me. My legs turned completely stiff; I couldn't possibly hold my balance like this and I fell down. I rolled myself on my back to see what was going on. Gorm had turned his attention to Juvia, who attacked him using her Water magic. I tried to move my legs, but all I could do is move them up or down; I wasn't able to bend my knees. How was I supposed to fight like this? I was starting to panic.

Gorm was dodging all of Juvia's attacks and counterattacked her with one of his spells. Juvia's arms got hit by his magic and rendered them unusable. I could see her trying to move her arms, but to no avail. He then struck her with some kind of blade, created of dark magic; she got knocked down to the ground, unable to defend herself. Gorm then returned to me, and unleashed a volley of dark magic bombs at close range. I was able to roll away from some of them, but there were too many. I got caught up in a chain of explosions. I felt like I was getting torn apart. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself still alive, but hurting badly.

Juvia, using her feet to channel magic, had created a sphere of water around Gorm, interrupting his attacks aimed at me. I snapped out of my panicking, this was our chance… I didn't need my legs to fight back. I raised both my hands and held my sword pointed at Gorm, who helplessly floated inside Juvia's sphere. Water worked so well with my type of magic, I thought to myself as I cast multiple Lightning Shock spells simultaneously. 

* * *

Gorm looked completely toasted after being hit by my electric attacks while being submerged by Water magic. Juvia released him, and he fell down to the ground, heavily coughing. He wasn't defeated yet? He got back on his feet again and prepared another spell, aimed at us both. Then, from behind, Gajeel appeared and knocked him on the head with his fist made of iron.

"Geehee, that all ya got?" Gajeel grinned. "Oi, you guys all right?" He finally noticed us lying on the ground.

"Well… not really. But I'm glad we made it…" I said weakly. I wasn't in great shape after that fight.

"Juvia is doing okay..."

"I can't believe they held me up for as long as they did. I'm surprised you two almost managed to beat up that dude without my help, though." Gajeel sounded genuinely impressed with our fight.

"I think we slightly underestimated them. But it doesn't matter… we've done what we came for." I said. With Gorm defeated, I noticed I could finally move my legs normally again, and tried to stand up. "I'd like to rest for a while before returning to the guild."

"Well, we won't make it back before the night, anyhow. Might as well stay the night here." Gajeel said.

Juvia agreed with that plan, too.

That night, we made a huge fire out of the remnants of the destroyed guild hall, and finished the last food we had brought with us. We wouldn't have anything left for tomorrow, but that wasn't something I wanted to be worrying about right now. 

* * *

I woke up early in the morning, lying in the grass. I had fallen asleep a bit away from the fire last night. The wooden remnants we had used were now only smouldering. I moved myself closer to whatever was left of the fire to take in the warmth that was still coming off of it. The sky was still a dark blue, but it looked like the sun would rise soon. Juvia and Gajeel were both still sleeping, surprisingly close together. They looked kind of cute together like that…

"Oh, Gray… Take Juvia in your arms." Juvia mumbled in her sleep and rolled over, even closer to where Gajeel was lying.

Gajeel was busy snoring, not noticing Juvia slowly moving up closer and closer to him.

"… Yes… Come to Juvia…" Juvia spread her arms while she was still asleep, then rolled to her side, placing one arm over Gajeel's torso. "That's more like it, my love…" She was now making kissing motions with her mouth, and getting dangerously close to Gajeel's face now. "… Juvia will do anything for you…" Her lips were on Gajeel's. Oh, dear…

Gajeel had his eyes wide open and stared at what was right in front him. He jumped away at the speed of lightning, cleaning his mouth with his hand. "You crazy woman! What do you think you're doing!? Gaaah!" He shouted hysterically.

Juvia slowly opened her eyes and yawned, not realising what she had done. "What is it, Gajeel? Can't you let Juvia sleep a little longer?" She said with a sleepy voice and eyes only half open.

Gajeel was out of his mind, still cleaning his mouth.

I wanted to laugh so badly about what happened, but I'd rather not suffer Gajeel's wrath, so I kept quiet. He slowly managed to calm himself down to a reasonable level again while Juvia had gone back to sleeping a little more. 

* * *

When the sun finally rose, Gajeel decided it was time for us to head back. He somehow managed to be even quieter than he was before, and walked a distance in front of us. Even Juvia had noticed there was something off with her teammate.

"Why does he seem so angry at Juvia?" She whispered at me.

"I… I don't know." I lied. It was probably for the best if she never found out what happened that morning… between her and Gajeel.

We made it back to the Fairy Tail guild hall late in the evening. My stomach had been growling almost the entire day. I had never gone so long without anything to eat. Mirajane had saved some dinner for us, in case we would return today. She saved my life that day. Juvia's stomach was in just as bad a shape as mine. Gajeel had not allowed us to take breaks to look for anything to eat; he had been so mean to the both of us on the way back. After reporting about the success of our mission he instantly left the guild hall to go home.

The guild master thanked us for completing our task. I felt great about the fact I'd been able to contribute to the whole operation to take these Dark Guilds down. But I also felt very tired, my feet were tired from all the walking, and my body was still sore from the battle with Gorm. Tomorrow I'll spend the day resting, I thought to myself as I walked to my house.


	19. Chapter 19 - Thunder Legion's Invitation

.

 **CHAPTER 19  
THUNDER LEGION'S INVITATION**

I decided to take it easy this morning, and skip physical training for once; instead I did some reading in one of the books I got from the library. My knowledge on magic, and most other things in the world, was still very much lacking due to the amnesia I suffered from. I had a lot of catching up to do. Not that I necessarily minded, though. Reading was a good way to pass the time, and it helped me relax. I was looking into more advanced spell casting, but it all seemed so very complex to me. While I had managed to successfully cast an advanced spell during my adventure with Natsu and Lucy, it was only a variant of one of my basic spells. And even when it came to basic spells, there seemed to be a lot I was still missing… Maybe I should focus more on that first, I thought to myself as I kept on reading.

Levy was right about my accelerated growth rates, though. I had improved immensely in such a short period of time. It had been less than two weeks since I got my butt kicked by those thugs on my first job, but right now I was strong enough to wipe out entire Dark Guilds… well, with the help of some others… and only if they didn't have a bunch of powerful wizards in them… but still. I had taught myself several new techniques after joining Fairy Tail, and even Natsu and Gajeel had shown themselves to be somewhat impressed by my performances in combat. Those two surely were some of the strongest in the guild. Making progress felt good, although there was still a long way to go for me.

But, making progress would be for another time. First, it was time to get some breakfast at the guild. Maybe I could spend the day reading in the guild hall. It might be a little harder to concentrate, but it'd probably be more fun. Besides, it had been a while since I spent some time in the guild hall. Last week I had focused so much on training at home, and then the last two days I was away for that job the guild master had given me. 

* * *

The guild hall was surprisingly peaceful for this time of the day. Were others sent to eliminate a number of Dark Guilds as well, I wondered. Oh well, it would make it easier to get some reading done here.

"Hello, there." A voice said to me. I turned my head and saw Freed and Bixlow standing behind me. "Mind if we take a seat at this table?"

They joined me at my table without waiting for my answer. What could these two possibly want from me?

" Yo, whatcha reading there?" Bixlow asked with that signature insane grin of his.

"Never mind that, we are here for to ask you something." Freed said, cutting off Bixlow's attempt at a casual chat with me. "We would like to invite you to our team, the Thunder Legion. Will you accept our invitation?" All of this came so out of nowhere, I didn't know what to say in response.

"As you know, our leader, Laxus, has been exiled from the guild. Without Laxus, our thunder is gone. As it stands, you are the only one in the guild suited to fill his spot." Freed explained their situation to me.

"We need your lightning powers to bring the thunder back to our legion, got it?" Bixlow followed up.

"Lightning! Lightning!" The totems floating behind him said.

"I… I don't know." I answered, still unsure about this whole situation. I barely knew these guys, but in my eyes they were still the enemy. They had threatened the lives of the Fairy Tail members and all of Magnolia's citizens. I still did not understand the guild master's decision to allow them to stay in our guild after all that they had done. They had probably been respectable members of the guild before, but that would have been before I'd joined. I guess, in some way, I could relate with how the others had felt about Gajeel.

Still, this was the first time I was invited to join a guild team. Such a chance might not come any time soon again. At the same time, their reasoning behind the invitation seemed a little shallow. I knew I was miles behind them, or at least Freed, in terms of combat performance and experience. But it seemed they only wanted me for my Lightning magic.

"Well, what's it gonna be?" Bixlow asked a little impatiently.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline your offer." I finally said. I hoped they wouldn't get mad or something at me for turning down their invitation.

They both stared at me, unwilling to believe what I just said. The Thunder Legion… rejected?

"Aw, how the mighty have fallen." Cana, who had been watching us from a distance, said casually, and laughed, enjoying the look of disappointment on Freed's and Bixlow's faces. "Once the strongest in Fairy Tail, now they can't even get our new members to join them. I'd almost feel sorry for them." 

* * *

"It's fine, we respect your decision. Come, Bixlow." Freed responded with dignity after recovering from his disappointment. Tears were flowing from under Bixlow's visor. He clearly didn't take the news as well as Freed. I sighed as the two walked away, glad that they left it at that.

"Only a man could have declined an offer like that!" Elfman shouted with a big grin, and aimed a thumbs up at me, amused by the fact that the famous Thunder Legion got rejected by Fairy Tail's newest member.

I smiled back at him, glad that he supported my choice of not joining their team. But with having been a member of Fairy Tail for more than two weeks now, it might be time to start looking more seriously into forming or joining a team. I wasn't strong and knowledgeable enough yet to do most of the higher ranked missions all on my own, and it wasn't always easy to find someone willing to join me. Up to this point, I'd been lucky to have had invites from Levy and Lucy to join them on their job requests, but it would be nice to have someone I could rely on.

I leaned back in my chair and started thinking of possible team compositions. First off, there was Mirajane and Elfman, the two who took care of me when I was found outside the guild. They both seemed really nice and friendly, but as far as I knew, Mirajane never really left the guild building to do job requests, and Elfman was often hanging out with other members. Levy, of course, already had a team with Jet and Droy, who seemed pretty protective towards her. Teams Natsu already consisted of four members (five, if you counted Happy), not to mention they're all above my level. Juvia only ever had Gray on her mind, she would be impossible to work with. Outside of all the other guild members, who all had their own teams and cliques already, that left me with Gajeel as the only possible candidate.

Despite his cold personality, I kind of liked him. He never talked more than was necessary, he takes his jobs seriously, and he's reliable in combat situations. Maybe I should talk to him about it some time, I thought.

Speaking of which, I hadn't seen him in the guild hall yet today. Was he still too embarrassed by what had happened between him and Juvia yesterday? I smiled when I thought about it again, it was so funny.

"Oi, what are you smiling about?" Gajeel said dryly as he took a seat opposite of me. He must have entered while I had been lost in thought about the whole team thing.

"Nothing… By the way, I had been thinking about forming a team. You're interested?" I asked him directly.

"Huh? A team… Isn't that with at least three people?"

"Right. But if I get a third, you'd be interested?"

"Sure. Depends on who it is, though. I ain't teaming with some wimp." He answered, not showing much interest in the idea.

It was decided, then. Now I just had to find a third member.


	20. Chapter 20 - Rescue Mission

.

 **CHAPTER 20  
RESCUE MISSION**

The next morning I had only just entered the guild hall, when I nearly got overrun by Jet, who came running in at supersonic speed and halted in front of the guild master. He was completely out of breath.

"M–Master! The enemy captured Levy and Droy!" He said with a tone of desperation in his voice. Their guild was heavily fortified and we got overwhelmed by their numbers. I only barely managed to escape, but I need help to rescue them! Please!" Jet had turned to the others who were in the guild hall; everyone was listening.

"Your team was tasked with taking out the Crimson Snakes, correct? How did they grow this powerful?" The guild master said while in thought.

"They received a bunch of reinforcements shortly before we arrived! Several powerful wizards have joined their ranks. We were no match for them." Jet replied desperately.

"Very well. Who's in for a rescue mission!?" The guild master shouted at the rest of the guild.

Most people, however, had only just recently returned from their task of eliminating a number of smaller Dark Guilds, and were still wounded or tired from everything. Gajeel slammed his hand onto the table he was sitting at and was the first to volunteer to be part of the rescue mission. Elfman followed right after him. I held up my hand as sign I was willing to join, as well. After a day like yesterday, I was well rested and in good condition; I would definitely lend my aid. After me, Freed and Bixlow also decided to join ("Rescue! Rescue!" Bixlow's totems shouted.)

"The five of you! Please hurry, rescue our guild members andbring them back safely!" The guild master told us. 

* * *

We all held up our fists and shouted. We were all ready to go. I quickly grabbed some crackers, and then followed after the others. It looked like no one was going to bother with any type of transport. We'd just run there instead. At times like this, I was glad I'd been doing training.

"Do you know where we need to be?" I asked Gajeel, who was leading the group.

"Crimson Snakes is a couple of hours from here if we keep up the pace. To think they took two of our members; they used to be too small to be even worth taking out." Gajeel stated.

"Most likely the news of Dark Guilds getting eliminated has reached the others Dark Guilds. Levy's group must have been the last to finish, hence its target getting the most time to bolster their defences." Freed added.

"At least they ain't running from us. That would take all the fun out of it." Bixlow said with a crazy grin and his tongue sticking out of his mouth. ("Fun! Fun!" The totems echoed.)

"They're manly for daring to stand up against Fairy Tail! Manly fools, but manly nonetheless." Elfman almost sounded like he admired their act of retaliating against our guild.

"Do we have a plan for when we get there?" I asked.

"Plan? We'll just tear the place down and get those two out of there." Gajeel clearly didn't want to bother with some kind of plan this time around.

"Don't worry, I will set up some enchantments around the place when we get there, in case they try anything funny." Freed said calmly.

We had been running for at least two hours straight now. I was feeling tired, but I wouldn't allow my legs to slow me down now. A spark of anger was burning inside of me, giving me the energy to keep going. I was sure the others felt the same. To capture two of our guild members…That was unforgivable. Poor Levy, I wondered if she was doing okay. The same for Droy... They better not be hurt when we find them. 

* * *

After a long time of running, we finally reached the location. We stopped a distance away from it and took the opportunity to give our tired legs a bit of rest. I felt like lying down for a while. Then a scream could be heard from inside the Dark Guild's building, loud enough to reach our ears. Was that Levy's? She sounded as if she was in agony.

All of us got up, revitalised by our thirst for revenge. Forget feeling tired, there were two of our guild members that were in pain and needed to be rescued! We all made a charge at the building where the screaming was coming from. We didn't bother with looking for the entrance; it probably was at the other side of the building. Gajeel, who was leading the charge, turned his arm into a giant metal blade, and smashed his way through the wall, creating an opening for us to enter through. I Prequipped myself with Lightning Battler gear as I jumped through the hole in the wall. Elfman transformed himself into a giant beast.

"The fairies are here! Take them out!" Some enemy wizards shouted when they saw us storming their guild hall. It looked like they'd expected an attack from us. There actually were fewer of them than I'd expected. That probably meant those that were here should be pretty strong, if they had been able to capture our guild members.

Close to one of the walls in the guild hall, Levy and Droy were both tied to one of the pillars supporting the roof. They looked weakened, and wounds all over their bodies were visible. They must have been subject to torture from these guys. They were going to pay for this! Everyone, including the normally coolheaded Freed, went into a frenzy at the sight of Levy and Droy all beaten up.

While I had taught myself to always calmly control the flow of magic in my body, even during moments of pressure, I found myself clawing at it wildly, like a wild beast now. I kept on grabbing chunks of magic and releasing them before properly channelling them to their location. My whole body was radiating sparks of lightning. I unleashed a barrage of Lightning Shocks at the enemy wizards in front of me. I was consuming my magic at a rate faster than I'd ever done before, but it wasn't enough yet. I tapped into my reserves – no mercy would be given. The enemy had been driven back in a matter of seconds since our assault, forced into a position of defending themselves before the rage of five mad Fairy Tail wizards.

"Don't ever… mess with… Fairy Tail again!" We all shouted.

They were in a corner with nowhere else to go, surrounded by the five of us. Their attempts to fight back were futile; their spells were hastily cast and poorly aimed. Unleashing our maximum rage, we caused a huge explosion in the location where they were standing, destroying over half of their guild hall in the process, and sent them flying to someplace over the horizon.

As the dust of the explosion slowly cleared, I felt power ebbing from my body. The backlash of consuming such huge amounts of magic in such a short period of time became quickly apparent as my body started aching, and I collapsed onto the floor. The others weren't having an easy time either. Combined with the fact we hadn't rested at all after the long run to this place, we all suffered for it badly now.

"Uhm… it would be very much appreciated if you could untie us now…" Levy said, showing a weak smile. We were lying on the floor, completely out of energy from our rampage. Elfman and Gajeel, after a short pause, finally got up and untied Levy and Droy. Their bodies were so hurt, they couldn't even stand up properly. We all spent the night lying on the floor of the ruined guild hall, resting and slowly regenerating our magic and energy again.

"I–I am so glad you guys came for us." Levy said, sounding like she was on the verge of crying.

"Thank you all so much… for freeing us." Droy said, really meaning it.

"Of course! That's what men do! Hahah– Ow! That hurts." Elfman tried to laugh, but his body was hurting too much.

"We couldn't let two of our guild members behind like that. Who do you think we are?" Freed said with a smile. This was the first time I had seen him fight in name of Fairy Tail. He's actually a pretty cool guy, I thought.

"Leave no one behind! That's how Fairy Tail works!" Bixlow followed up. ("Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!" The totems shouted after him.)

I wanted to say something too, but I couldn't think of anything. I loved how close everyone was. I felt happy to be a part of this guild. With those thoughts in my head, I fell asleep. 

* * *

The next morning we were in much better state already, with a portion of our magic recovered again, but it would probably be best to take it easy on the way back. With Levy and Droy still heavily wounded, we slowly began our journey back to the guild hall again. I shared some of the crackers I had brought with the two Shadow Gear members. It was my time to repay them for that time they'd shared their lunch with me.

We arrived back at the guild hall late that evening. The guild master and Jet, with tears in his eyes, thanked us all for bringing back Levy and Droy alive. Mirajane immediately tended to their wounds, wrapping them in bandages until they both almost looked like real mummies. She stated it might take them a few days to full recover, but at least they were fine for now.


	21. Chapter 21 - Nightmare Repeat

.

 **CHAPTER 21  
NIGHTMARE REPEAT**

A week had passed. The members of Team Natsu, who had been sent on a mission to destroy the Oración Seis, together with three other guilds, had safely returned to the guild some days ago, bringing good news of having successfully completed their task. They had also brought with them a young girl, called Wendy, and her cat companion, Carla, who joined the guild. That meant I was no longer the number one rookie! With the successful completion of the cooperative guild operation, and the addition of a new guild member, there had been a lot of partying in the guild, but things were slowly calming down again.

I was also getting closer and closer to needing to pay the rent for my apartment, and I still hadn't completed any job requests to earn me the money I needed to pay this month's rent. The last job I'd done was together with Natsu and Lucy, but unfortunately, our client was mysteriously murdered before we had been able to collect our job reward. Since then I had been busy with the whole guild mission thing of taking out the smaller Dark Guilds that had ties with the Oración Seis, which was one of the secondary objectives in the cooperative guild operation.

With all of that behind us now, it was time to get back to doing regular job requests again. 

* * *

I was glad the guild hall was becoming more peaceful again after days of partying. These last few days, numerous brawls had broken out, and it had just been incredibly tough finding moments in the guild hall without constantly being in danger of getting hit by flying barstools or beer kegs.

After finishing my breakfast at the guild hall, which was the quietest it had been in a while, I went to the request board to see if there was anything interesting I could possibly do on my own. It was filled with more requests than I'd ever seen on it before. Barely anyone had been taking up job requests this week, due to the whole guild operation and all the partying that came after it.

Nearby were Mirajane with the newcomer and her cat. They also seemed to be looking for a job request to pick.

"Hello, Roth." Mirajane greeted me with a smile when she noticed me standing at the request board, too. "Wendy is looking to do her first job request. Why don't you go with her?"

What?

"She's so young, and still new at this, I think it'd be best if someone from the guild would assist her for now. What do you think, Wendy?" Mirajane looked back at Wendy, who was now looking at me. Her cat companion didn't look too happy about it, and clearly didn't approve of Mirajane's suggestion.

"Uhm. Would you like to come with me, mister…" Wendy shyly asked as she looked at the ground.

"The name's Roth." I said plainly. I wasn't sure about this whole thing. What was a twelve year old girl even supposed to do anyway? But I knew how difficult it was as newcomer, and I needed to go on a new job anyway. "… Fine. I'll come." I finally said after a short pause.

"Really?" Wendy looked up with a big smile, happy that she wouldn't have to go alone on her first guild job. Her cat, who stood next to her, refused to look in my direction.

"Yeah… So, what are you looking for?" I asked.

"I don't really know… preferably something easy."

"Then, that's the wrong part of the board you're looking at; it's all A rank jobs in that corner. Try here, there's a bunch of jobs ranging from F to D rank over here." I pointed out.

"Oh, how about this one?" Wendy took a small paper from the board and happily showed it to me and Mirajane.

Oh no, it was the exact same one I took as my first guild job, the one to work as cookie baker assistant. "I…I don't thi–" I wanted to change her mind about taking it, but I was interrupted by Mirajane.

"Oh! That looks like fun, Wendy! I believe it's similar to the one Roth did on his first guild job. Didn't you enjoy that one, Roth?" Mirajane said cheerfully.

"I… uhm, no – yes. Of course." I stuttered, and faked a weak smile. "But do–"

"Very well, you two should be on your way, then. And don't forget to have fun!" Mirajane was pushing us to leave, not giving me a chance to talk my way out of this disaster.

"Thanks so much, Mira! Are you ready, Roth? You're coming, too, Carla?" Wendy was so happy to start on her first guild job.

And so, we left the guild hall and made our way to the dreaded baker store. 

* * *

"Say, weren't you member of some other guild?" I casually asked as we walked through the streets of Magnolia. I remembered hearing Wendy was part of the group tasked with taking down the Oración Seis, meaning she had to come from one of the guilds who was part of the main operation.

Wendy looked down with a sad look in her eyes and didn't seem to want to talk about it.

"Don't ask her about that! It's not something she wants to be reminded of now!" Carla, her cat companion, sneered at me. She seemed pretty protective towards Wendy, and it was obvious she didn't trust me very much.

"It's fine… Carla." Wendy said to her companion.

"I'm sorry. Well, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it." I already backed off. From her reaction alone, I could understand something bad must have happened between her and the guild she used to be a member of. I remained quiet for the rest of the walk.

"Oh, there it is!" Wendy said with a big smile as we approached the baker store where we had to be. "My first job, how exciting!" She ran the last few metres and entered the store before us.

"Oh, no. This simply wo– Oh, you! I remember you!" The shopkeeper said as I entered the store a moment after Wendy had gone in. "I'm very sorry, but I can't allow a girl this young to work for me in my store. But you, you did well last time you were here!" He pointed at me.

"Wait, what? I only came here to assist her on her first guild job." I said, trying to avoid sinking any deeper into this mess.

"Well, I guess you'll have to do the work this time, then." Carla said, clearly enjoying this turn of events.

"I'm so sorry, Roth. But we'll be with you and cheer you on!" Wendy apologised, but tried to make the best of the situation. 

* * *

One of the slowest days I ever experienced followed. From morning to late afternoon I worked, cleaning the floor and windows, greeting customers, getting supplies from nearby warehouses and more. Shortly before dinner time, the store would finally close and we could leave.

"Thank you again so much for assisting me in my work! Fairy Tail truly is the greatest guild of all in Fiore!" The shopkeeper said, tears were showing in his eyes. "Here are fourty Jewel for all your hard work! I hope you will return again soon!" He said as he handed me over eight golden coins.

I was tired from all the work, but I was glad I could leave this nightmare behind me.

"Wow! You earned fourty Jewel, Roth? That's great!" Wendy said enthusiastically.

"Don't you think Wendy deserves to get some of that?" Carla said to me. "She has been with you all this time. That counts as something. Not to mention, she was the one to pick the job."

"It's okay, Carla! I really enjoyed being with Roth today! … And I know he did all the work." Wendy said with a smile, trying to appease her companion.

"No. She's right." I stopped, and put four golden coins in Wendy's hands. "We work together as a team. That is what Fairy Tail is about." It was painful to muster a smile after a day like this, but Wendy had indeed been very nice to me all this time, despite not knowing me at all. She had indeed tried to continuously cheer me up as I did my mindnumbingly boring tasks in that bakery store earlier.

"You know… even if it's been only a couple of days since I have joined…" Wendy said with a smile and tears coming from her eyes. "… I love this guild! Everyone's been so nice to me. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Mira… you, too, Roth."

I knew what she meant. I felt exactly the same about Fairy Tail. 

* * *

Back at the guild hall we were greeted by Mirajane, who couldn't wait to hear from us about Wendy's first guild job. I didn't really want to talk about it at all; all I wanted was a plate of food. I was starving. But I could still hear everything she was saying to Mirajane. From the way she talked about everything that had happened today, she made it sound like we had tons of fun and that it was over before she knew it.

If only… if only, I thought to myself and sighed. I was never going back to that baker store again I silently promised myself. I was going to need a lot of rest tomorrow.


	22. Chapter 22 - Fight Fire With Ice

.

 **CHAPTER 22  
FIGHT FIRE WITH ICE**

A good night's sleep had helped wash away the misery that had been my time at the bakery store yesterday. Maybe I could go on a guild job today and earn some money. Obviously, the twenty Jewel from yesterday's job would get me nowhere… not when I needed at least three-thousand for the monthly rent. I sighed, and then did my daily training exercises.

An hour later at the guild hall… Natsu and Gray were already causing chaos by beating each other up over something. Fortunately, no other guild members got involved, preventing an all-out brawl from happening. Unfortunately, the two were fighting it out right in front of the request board where I needed to be. Eventually Natsu finished it with an effective punch to Gray's face, knocking him down to the floor. He then ran off with a devilish grin on his face. I noticed a job request paper lying on the ground, next to Gray, who was still dizzy from getting hit in the face.

"…Ugh, that idiot. Always takes it way too far." Gray grumbled to himself as he slowly got up, holding one hand to his head.

"What was it about this time?" I asked. I was already used to seeing the two fight. They always seemed to have the silliest reasons for getting into fights with each other.

"Nothing… something about a job we took up this morning." He answered, and picked up the paper from the floor.

"Mind if I tag along?" I asked, interested in what Natsu and Gray were getting themselves into this time.

"Heh, technically it was supposed to be just between him and me, but sure." Gray said with a relaxed look on his face. He sure had recovered quickly from that punch to the face. "Roth's the name, correct?"

I nodded.

"Very well, let's be on our way. Natsu's got a decent lead on us. We can't allow him to win this one." Gray said as he ran out of the guild hall. I hadn't expected us to leave right away, but I followed him regardless, trying to keep up. "If we hurry, we can still catch the same train Natsu's taking. C'mon!" We made a sprint to the Magnolia train station. 

* * *

At the station, as we bought our tickets, the train was already ready to depart. There was no time to waste. We pushed and shoved our way through the crowds to get to our train that was beginning to move. We jumped onto the rail tracks and sprinted after the train, which went increasingly faster now. Gray made a final sprint and jumped; he made it onto the small, open platform at the back of the railway wagon. I wasn't going to make it at this rate… I needed more speed. That very moment, I had that pain going through my head again, lasting for only a split second.

"New Technique! Lightning Step!"

In an instant, my whole body was surrounded by a mixture of light and lightning. It felt as if I had turned completely weightless, unaffected by gravity itself. This was my chance to make it to the train! Before my brain could even process what was happening, I was already in the location I'd wanted to be. My body returned to normal again, feeling myself pulled down by gravity as my feet hit the platform of the railway wagon, landing next to where Gray was standing.

"Oh! Lightning magic… fancy." Grey said, mildly impressed.

"So, what kind of job are we doing, and how is Natsu involved in all of this?" I asked after we'd entered a carriage and sat down.

"Right. Hargeon's museum is being rebuilt in a new location, just outside of the city, and they need help with the relocating of several magical artefacts. Apparently, one of these artefacts is made of fire, while the other is made of ice." Gray started explaining. "Now, Natsu somehow got this idea stuck in that thick head of his that it's the perfect opportunity for a race between us."

"And you couldn't simply refuse his challenge?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Well, I don't really care. Unlike Natsu, I'm not treating this as a childish competition. But of course it's important that we don't let our client waiting." Gray said, trying his best to cover up the obvious fact that he was in fact hell-bent on beating Natsu in the race.

"One more question… why did you take your clothes off?" I asked, wondering what was wrong with this guy.

"Ah! When did that happen!?" Gray looked down at himself in shock. He probably hadn't even noticed that he stripped himself. 

* * *

We left the train as soon as it arrived at the station in Hargeon. Gray stated this would be an excellent chance to get ahead of Natsu, who would likely need time to recover from his motion sickness. What happened to not caring about turning this into a competition…? I just went with it, and followed Gray to wherever we needed to be for our job.

"Ah, you are the wizards from Fairy Tail, yes?" The museum's director asked once we made it to the location of the old museum.

"We're the group to relocate the flame artefact. The other one will be here in a minute." Gray answered. So, the reason we travelled separately was because the job was actually split up in two.

"Yes, yes. Well, we're glad you're finally here. The artefact is right over here; I'll remove its barrier when you're ready, yes? Be careful with it, though. It incinerates anything that touches it, yes?" The director seemed a little nervous about the whole operation, but the item we were supposed to transport to the new location was probably of high value, so I couldn't exactly blame him.

Gray readied an ice spell, then gave the sign he was ready to take the artefact with him. The director, who stood in front of the artefact, laid his hands on the barrier surrounding the artefact, and removed the seal. In an instant, a wave of intense heat fell over the surrounding area. Gray quickly cast a chunk of ice, covering the artefact, and took it in his hands. The heat was already lessening.

"Please, hurry! The location is just outside of the city, like described on the paper, yes?" The director said while swiping sweat off his forehead.

"Leave it to me. Roth, keep an eye out for anything that could attempt to get in our way!" Gray ordered as he left with the artefact encased in ice in his hands.

We were running for only a minute when the ice around the artefact was starting to melt already, and Gray had to recast his spell. I sensed it cost him more energy to do so than the first time… was he constantly channelling magic to strengthen the ice around it?

"What kind of item is this anyway?" I asked, curious about the thing we were carrying with us.

"It's called the Tear of Firaea. It was thought to be created about a hundred years ago, by some kind of fire spirit. According to some myths it holds a mystery underneath its veil of flames, but no one has been able to extinguish the flames covering it… the other artefact is pretty much the same thing, but it's ice instead." Gray explained to me.

"You know quite a lot about this…" I said, surprised.

"Heh, it's just things I picked up from Levy. She knows we don't read much, so she tells us about these kinds of things when there isn't much else going on in the guild hall… Thinks it's important for us to broaden our knowledge."

"I see." 

* * *

"Hah! We're gonna be first!" Natsu just ran past us at high speed, leaving a trail of fire behind him. Erza was following closely behind him. "Be careful with that, Natsu!" She shouted at him.

"Oh, no! You won't!" Gray's competitive spirit instantly returned by Natsu's sudden appearance, and started sprinting after him.

"Yo, Gray!" Natsu said with a mean grin on his face. "Since we need to make sure these two items need to arrive in one piece, how about we let our teammates race for us?"

"Is that why you took Erza with you!? I knew it!" Gray said angrily, but Natsu already had already decided on the new terms of their competition. "Fine, if that's how you wanna play it, then so be it! Roth, make sure to finish before Erza does!" Gray shouted back at me.

Erza sighed, obviously not agreeing with this whole thing. "Very well, if that's the only way to keep Natsu from potentially ruining this job, then I shall race you. Roth, prepare to lose!" Erza said as she looked at me with eyes burning with determination.

Really? I had heard Erza was considered Fairy Tail's strongest woman. Why was I asked to race her? There'd be no way I was going to win this with her as my opponent. It was my turn to sigh.

"It looks like I don't have much of an option, but fine. You're on!" I said, readying myself for the toughest race in my life.


	23. Chapter 23 - Steel Against Sparks

.

 **CHAPTER 23  
STEEL AGAINST SPARKS**

Erza made it clear she wasn't going to go easy on me in this race. "Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armour!" Her body glowed, then had shining, silver metal armour appear on her. "Circle Sword!" A huge amount of swords materialised behind her.

Wasn't this going to be a little overkill for a simple race? I wasn't familiar with her skills and abilities at all, but whatever she was going to do, it probably wouldn't bode well for me if I didn't find a way to fight back fast.

"Prequip: Lightning Battler!" I cast in response. My body glowed, and my signature gear appeared over my regular clothes. I took my sword, Lightning Edge, from its beam of lightning in one hand, and got ready to defend myself against whatever Erza would decide to throw at me.

"Prequip… cute. But it pales in comparison with my Requip." Erza taunted me.

People jumped out of the way as soon as they saw the two of us running in their direction in the small streets of Hargeon. Erza waited until we entered a quieter street with less people around before unleashing her technique. "Dance, my swords!" She shouted, and the swords floating behind her began to rapidly spin in a circle, then were shot upwards, into the sky. Only seconds after they had taken off, they came crashing down right in front of me. Was she trying to get me killed!?

I made a sharp turn into her direction to get out of the way of the falling swords and bashed myself against her with my shoulder. A move she hadn't expected me to make; she lost her balance and focus. The rest of her swords landed nowhere nearly as accurate, and she had been slowed down a little. The armour she was wearing was obviously not very practical for running around in.

"Requip: Black Wing Armour!" I could hear her shouting from behind. She was now wearing dark metal armour with dragon-like wings. She dashed forward and spread her wings. I looked over my shoulder behind me, and saw her flying straight at me. I was forced to dodge roll away to avoid her charge aimed at me. It was confirmed, she was officially crazy. I continued running; but now that I was behind her, it would be easier to not be the target of her attacks. 

* * *

I was going to need to fight crazy with crazy. I silently charged my sword with several Lightning Shock spells, and took aim at her as she was still running in front of me. Fire! A number of bolts of lightning shot from my blade at once, striking their target and causing an explosion of dust. When I made it through the cloud of dust, I saw Erza still running before me, but wearing a different set of armour and weapon again.

"Nice try, but Lightning magic won't be effective as long as I wear my Thunder Empress Armour." Erza confidently smiled at me, and continued to keep the lead. I was going to need to find another way to slow her down, but I had already found her weak spot.

"Lightning Step!" I utilised my new technique to get right behind her in a flash, grabbed her braid and yanked it. She made a backward flip, landing behind me. It was a dirty trick, but it was the only thing I could come up with at the moment. Erza looked angry and more determined than ever now. Maybe pulling her hair wasn't the correct choice, but it was too late now. All I could do is run as fast as I could, and hope I'd somehow make it to the finish before her… and more importantly, before losing my life to her wrath.

"Requip: Purgatory Armour!" She now wore dark, spiky armour and wielded a huge, metal spiked mace. This was getting from bad to worse. She made a dash, raised her mace and slammed it into the ground. I had to Lightning Step myself out of the way in order to avoid getting crushed by it. Erza's attack turned a good part of the street into a crater. I shot a few Lightning Shocks back at her, but aiming at behind me while running proved to be difficult. Erza was having trouble keeping up with her heavy armour and weapon, and I was slowly creating distance between us.

"Requip: Flight Armour!" She changed armour again, this time into something much lighter. If she was going to attempt to race me to the finish, instead of smashing me into the ground, I had to make haste. It wasn't far to the goal from here, but I was feeling drained from all the running and fighting. Erza, on the other hand, seemed to have plenty of energy left in her.

"Immense Speed!" She shouted, and dashed at a ridiculous speed past me, and went straight at the finish line. I could have attempted to outrun her with Lightning Step, but that technique was only meant for covering short distances. 

* * *

I finally made it to the others, who were waiting for me at the building site where the new museum was under construction, several minutes after Erza had finished, completely out of breath.

"Hahah! We won!" Natsu shouted happily.

"That wasn't even fair, Natsu! And you know it!" Gray said angrily back at Natsu, who wasn't listening to his grumbling.

"Well done, Roth. I enjoyed our little contest." Erza said, friendly, and extended her hand out at me. She barely showed any signs of being exhausted after all that.

I took her hand and smiled at her, glad that it was over with my all my limbs still attached to my body. This woman was way too dangerous to mess around with, even when it came to friendly competitions.

"You must have done pretty well against her." Gray said. "To see her like that, it means she must have really enjoyed herself." I could hear Gray was pretty impressed with my race against Erza, despite the fact I'd lost pretty badly against her. "Unfortunately for us, we won't get Natsu to shut up about his insignificant victory for the next couple of days…"

"Did you two successfully move the two artefacts to their new home, though?" I asked, getting back to business.

"Yes, and here's your share of the job reward." Gray said, and gave me five-thousand Jewel. Excellent, that would be enough to cover the rent for almost two full months.

Natsu's overly cheerful mood quickly turned into depression as we entered the train to travel back to Magnolia Town with. It was hard to feel sorry for him after he'd matched me up against one of Fairy Tail's strongest in a race. It was a quiet and relaxed journey back, partially thanks to Natsu being silenced due to his motion sickness.

"Hey, Roth. You wanna hang out with us at the guild hall tonight?" Gray friendly asked after we'd arrived in Magnolia and left the train station.

"Gray… your clothes." Erza commented. "Honestly, to ask the guy such a question after stripping yourself." She shook her head in disapproval.

"Ah! Did I leave my clothes in the train!?" Gray shrieked.

"Yeah, sure. I hadn't anything planned for tonight anyway." I answered.

"Wasn't Mira going to do a performance tonight?" Erza asked, curiously.

"She's gonna sing about my victory against you!?" Natsu shouted enthusiastically, only just now joining in on the conversation as we walked back to the guild building.

"Of course not, you dipstick, what a waste of her talent that would be." Gray said, irritated about Natsu's dumb question.

"Gruh! You what!?" Natsu growled back at him with flames coming out his mouth, but Erza pulled the two away from each other before they could get themselves in a fight again.

"Behave, you two! Before I lose my patience…" Erza threatened the two. Natsu and Gray deeply bowed down before her, apologising and begging for their lives to be spared. Erza could truly be scary… 

* * *

The guild hall was filled with laughter and talk that evening. It seemed people didn't want to give up on their partying streak just yet, even though we had already ran out of excuses for having them. The guild master approved, so we just went with it. I honestly didn't feel too comfortable being in the middle of the huge crowd, so I slowly moved myself more towards the outer edges of the crowd, where it was a little more peaceful.

When Mirajane appeared on the podium to do her performance, all of the guild members cheered loudly. Unfortunately, she had sad news to share with us… Her throat was hurting, so she would be unable to do any singing tonight. But she presented Gajeel as the person who would replace her for tonight's performance. Everyone, including myself, was in total shock at seeing Gajeel wearing a fine white costume and hat. That was totally not like him!

"Shoo-be-doo-ba!"

The entire guild went from a state of shock to terror in a matter of seconds when Gajeel began singing and playing the guitar. It was truly the most horrifying thing I'd ever heard. I had to cover my ears with my hands, and made my way out of the guild hall. It was getting late anyway, I needed some sleep. I'd finally earned some money, which should last me a while.


	24. Chapter 24 - Bake A Cake

.

 **CHAPTER 24  
BAKE A CAKE**

I woke up early this morning from a strange dream in which I was being chased by hundreds of miniature Erzas, who tried to kill me with all sorts of weapons while being haunted by the terrible singing of Gajeel from last night. What a terrible way to wake up, I thought to myself as I got up from my couch. Ugh, and it's still so early, too. I wondered if the guild hall would be even open already at a time like this. Well, maybe I could get some reading done; I still had a lot to catch up with. I took one of the books on the table in my room and began to read while lying on the couch…

I woke up again, with an open book over my face. Really, had I fallen asleep while reading? Looking at the position of the sun in the sky from my window, it was already pretty late in the morning, and I hadn't even done my morning exercises yet. Ah, forget the exercises, I was hungry. And so, I went to the guild hall to get some breakfast. 

* * *

The guild hall was filled with members with a sleepy looks on their faces. I guessed Gajeel's singing hadn't done much good for their nightly rest. Gajeel, on the other hand, looked very lively, bragging to a group of guild members who had missed his performance last night. He must have had the time of his life, being able to perform in front of an audience for the first time. As I sat down at a table, and ate some breakfast, I noticed the guild master entering the guild hall with a rather angry look on his face. Everyone else had noticed him, too, and the whole guild hall went quiet that instant.

"Who…" The guild master said, looking like he could explode of anger at any moment. "Whoever ruined the streets of Hargeon yesterday, stand up now!" He then shouted.

I silently looked down at the table in front of me. From the corner of my eye I could see Natsu, Gray and Erza doing the same. It was obvious the guild master referred to the damage caused during my race with Erza yesterday. Should I stand up…?

After a short moment, it was Erza who stood up. "I take full responsibility, master." She said without hesitation in her voice. Natsu, Gray and I looked at her, but she flashed a look back at us with eyes that told us to stay down and keep quiet.

"Very well. Erza, I want you to immediately travel to Hargeon and assist with the repairs of the streets." The guild master ordered her.

"It shall be done, master." Erza said, and then left the guild hall.

After Erza had left, the guild hall slowly came to live again. People were glad the guild master's anger hadn't been directed at them. I felt the same, but at the same time, I also felt bad for Erza. After all, I had taken part in the destruction during our race as well. But Erza had made it clear she was willing to take full responsibility for all of it. Still, it didn't seem fair. 

* * *

"Good morning, Roth… What's the matter?" Wendy said as she took a seat at my table.

I sighed, not sure if I should share my thoughts with her. But she kept looking at me with eyes that expected an answer out of me; I felt I couldn't possibly ignore her concern for me. And so I told her what happened.

"It's simple. You should have gone with her." Carla said as if it was that simple. Besides, it was already in the past; Erza had already left without me.

"How about we surprise her when she comes back from her task?" Wendy suggested after a moment of thinking.

"…Like, with what?" I asked, interested in the idea, but not sure what we should do with it. Wendy went back to thinking again. It was hard to come up with a fun idea for somebody I barely even knew anything about.

"We could bake her a cake?" Wendy suggested with some enthusiasm. "I learned Miss Erza loves cake during the little time I spent with her. What do you think?"

Ugh, baking. I sucked at it, and it reminded me of my first job; and of that other time with Wendy. But her suggestion was still better than the complete lack of ideas in my head. "All right, then. Let's bake a cake." I agreed to her idea as I had nothing better to suggest myself.

Together, Wendy and I went to the local grocery store. She had written down everything we would need on a paper, so we wouldn't forget anything. "Sugar. Butter. Eggs. Flour. Milk…" She named all the things we needed. It was much more than I thought it would be. How could such a simple thing consist of so many ingredients?

"Maybe we should get some strawberries, Roth! I bet she would love those!" Wendy suggested; she really seemed to be enjoying this whole cake baking thing.

We went to the market at the town square to get some strawberries, then, with all the stuff we needed we went to my house. 

* * *

"Wah! Your kitchen is so clean!" Wendy said, totally in awe. Had she expected to see worse from me?

"Of course it's clean… It doesn't get dirty, since I never use it." I said, not completely sure if I should take her reaction as a compliment. "So… how do we begin?"

I felt like a complete idiot; being taught how to bake by a little girl. It looked like she had done this before, she knew all this stuff without even reading from a recipe. She told me what I should do, and how to do it. Buttering the pans, mixing the batter. Meanwhile, Carla was sitting on my couch, looking at the weather outside, not really interested to get involved with the baking herself.

After a while, it was finally starting to look like something, and we added the remaining ingredients to the mixture. I had no idea if we were doing it right, but Wendy seemed happy with the result so far. It was finally time to put the thing in the oven and wait.

"I didn't know you were this great at baking, Roth!" Wendy said with a smile as we stood in front of the over, waiting.

"Are you kidding me? I'm merely following the instructions you give me; I don't know anything about this kind of stuff myself." I said, trying to be honest about myself.

"Baking isn't just about knowing. It's about putting your heart into it." She said, and placed one hand on her chest.

I sighed, this was getting too cheesy for me.

Suddenly black smoke began to rise from the oven. Was there something wrong with it?

"Roth, get water, fast!" Wendy shouted, and coughed when she inhaled some of the smoke. I quickly grabbed a bucket and began to fill it with water from the kitchen tap. But the smoking rapidly got worse, and before I had the chance to pour water over it, there was an explosion.

After the black smoke cleared and I was done coughing, I opened my eyes again. "… What happened?"

My entire apartment was covered in ash, and pieces of cake were everywhere. I took a look inside the oven, only to find a broken fire lacrima lying at the bottom. I had never used the thing before, so I had no idea it had been in such a bad state before we used it to heat the oven. This was terrible.

"Look what you've done! I knew this was a bad idea, Wendy!" Carla jumped up, irritated about the fact she got a coat of ash all over her white fur and clothes.

"No worries, Roth! We can still make another one!" Wendy said, already recovered from the shock caused by the explosion. "If you get a new set of ingredients and a working fire lacrima, then I'll clean the mess in your apartment in the meantime!" She really was determined to get this cake done before Erza would return. I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to go for another round of cake baking, but we had already hit rock-bottom with this failure. I had nothing more to lose at this point.

I cast Prequip and wrapped my cape around my clothes to hide all the ash and bits of cake that were all over my clothes from the explosion. I must have looked silly to anyone who saw me walking around like this, but I didn't care at this point. 

* * *

When I came back to my apartment with all the things we needed, I saw most of the floor and walls had already been cleaned by Wendy. She sure worked pretty fast.

"Yo. I'm back."

We didn't waste any time, and began working on the second cake immediately. Things went a little smoother this time, but I still needed instructions on what to do and in which order to do them, though Wendy showed no signs of impatience towards me. After all the work was done, we were ready to give the oven a second try. We put the cake in there and prayed that everything would go well this time. While waiting for the oven to finish, Wendy helped cleaning her cat companion's fur and apologised to her for not having the time to do so any sooner. She normally had nice and clean white fur, but it had turned completely grey from the ash of the explosion.

After about forty minutes later, it was time to get the cake out of the oven. It looked so nice and tasty! Maybe all the time and effort put into it had been worth it after all. Wendy used some whipped cream on the cake, and placed strawberries on top of it. If it had looked nice before, it was an absolute masterpiece now. I couldn't believe we had managed to make something that looked this great all by ourselves.

"Let's head back to the guild hall, Roth!" Wendy said, excited that we were finally done with the baking. We carefully placed the cake inside a small container and brought it with us on the way back to the guild building. Once we were inside, we took a seat at an empty table and placed the container on there. Wendy had somewhat of a nervous look on her face while we waiting for Erza to return. 

* * *

After what seemed to be ages, the doors of the guild hall opened, and revealed Erza standing there. She had finally returned from her work in Hargeon. Wendy immediately jumped up and waved at her. Erza noticed and came to our table.

"Roth and I made you something, Miss Erza!" Wendy said with a huge smile, and proceeded to take the cake out of the container and put it in front of Erza. "There! We hope you like it!"

"Like it? I love it… thank you two so much." Erza said, and smiled, she looked truly touched by our surprise. As she took a piece of the cake, I could see tears flowing from her eyes. "This is so good, exactly what I needed after a day like this!"

"Yo, Erza. Wendy. Roth." Gray greeted us all as he appeared with Natsu next to him, probably just returning from a job request.

"Gaw! You saved all that cake just for us, Erza! Natsu cheered loudly while drool was uncontrollably flowing out of his mouth. He took a large a chunk of the cake and ate it right in front of Erza who couldn't believe her eyes.

"How nice you're sharing with us, Erza. Man, I haven't eaten a thing since breakfast." Gray said, and took another chunk of the cake.

Erza trembled with rage at the sight of these two taking her cake without her permission. How dared they touch her cake; she would make them pay! She grabbed the two by their heads and smacked them against each other, then threw them down onto the floor. Her eyes were burning with anger.

"You… get out… of my sight!" She growled like a monster, and pointed her finger at the doors while keeping her eyes fixed on Natsu and Gray as they quickly scurried out of the guild hall. They didn't realise what they had done wrong, but they knew they had to get away from Erza if they wanted to avoid a painful death.

Once Erza had calmed down again, she ate the last bit of the cake that wasn't taken by Natsu and Gray earlier. Wendy and I were both not feeling so comfortable sitting this close to Erza when she was on edge; we kept quiet just to be safe.

"Seriously, those two are hopeless. They need to learn to keep their hands off of other people's cake." Erza complained after finishing eating. "Thank you two again very much for the delicious surprise… I wish I could stay longer, but I must attend to a meeting with the guild master." She said, this time much friendlier and showing us a soft smile. She then got up and went on her way.

Wendy and I both sighed, in some way glad that it was over. I thanked her for everything, then said goodbye and went back to my apartment. I needed some rest after all what had happened today.

Back home, I was once again reminded why baking wasn't for me. My kitchen was still a mess from the baking. I sighed some more, and started cleaning up. I found a paper lying under one of the pans we'd used, a note Wendy must have left behind before we left. It was the recipe for the cake we made today, including an ingredients list "… In case you would like to do more baking. ~Wendy"

"Yeah, right." I muttered to myself, and put the note away in a random drawer, most likely never to be found again.


	25. Chapter 25 - Taming The Dragon

.

 **CHAPTER 25  
TAMING THE DRAGON**

The past couple of days had been fairly uneventful. It didn't help the weather hadn't been that great either. While Magnolia never really got that cold, even during the winters, it was still noticeably less pleasant to spend time outside, now that summer was over. I had been using my free time working on improving my magic abilities, but mostly I was just hanging around in the guild hall, usually at a table, alone. I liked to observe the other guild members doing their things. I hadn't felt like doing a whole lot else lately… maybe I should go do something today.

I noticed Gajeel standing at the request board, looking like he was taking his time choosing what job to take. That wasn't something I saw very often. He was often pretty decisive when it came to picking up jobs.

"Yo, Gajeel. What's up?" I asked as I approached him. It was nice to have a chance talk to him again; it had been a while since our last time. He was often away on solo jobs, or looking like he was asleep while standing in a corner of the guild hall, so I didn't get the chance to talk to him that often. Not to mention, he simply wasn't exactly the most sociable guy.

"Urgh, nothing good's on the board these days." Gajeel grumbled. "Now that Salamander's back, he's been picking all the good jobs from under my nose."

"Hey, what do you think about forming a team?" I casually asked in an attempt to take his mind off the lousy jobs that were available. Besides, this was the perfect opportunity to get back on this topic with him.

"We need three, you stupid. Don't you remember?" Gajeel said irritatedly.

"Wendy will be our third." I said. I had been thinking about it for the past couple of days now, and I'd come to the conclusion she would be our best option as third member of the team.

"Pfft, the little girl? Didn't I tell you I don't want wimps on the team?" Gajeel responded, clearly unimpressed with my idea, and returned his focus to the request board. I could somewhat understand him, though. I still had no idea what Wendy's abilities were, but if she had been part of the main operation of taking out the Oración Seis, surely she couldn't be weak? Besides, her friendly personality could potentially soften up Gajeel a little, and maybe help him cheer up a little. 

* * *

A moment later, I returned to the request board. I had brought Wendy with me, but hadn't explained to her yet what for. Luckily, Gajeel hadn't left, and it looked like he regretted having not decided on a job sooner when he saw me bring Wendy to him.

"Look, I'm not interested. I'm outta here." Gajeel stated bluntly and was about to take his leave.

"You're not going anywhere." I said as I stepped right in front of him, and looked him in the eyes. He looked right back at me; I felt intimidated by the intense gaze of his blood red eyes, but I would not allow him to go.

"Move, or I'll crush you." Gajeel was about to snap.

"Don't think I'll let you judge her before even giving her a chance to prove herself!"

Gajeel didn't bother with a response. In an instant, he rammed me in the gut with his arm turned into a metal club. I felt crushed by the impact of his hit… I couldn't breathe and gasped for air.

"I'll consider it if she can beat me in combat." Gajeel said as he walked away.

"Roth!" Wendy shouted, and came up to me. I was lying on the floor, feeling as if a hole had been punched through my stomach. I hadn't expected him to hit me like that.

The pain in my body quickly faded away as Wendy used her magic to heal me; I had never experienced something like it before. After only a minute or two of her healing, the pain from Gajeel's punch was completely gone. So, that's the kind of magic she was able to use. I was amazed at how effective it was.

"I… I don't really understand what just happened between Mister Gajeel and you, Roth…" Wendy spoke softly. "But I know it had something to do with me… I'm sorry…" She was on the verge of crying.

"It's not your fault, okay?" I said, and then told her about my idea of forming a team with her and Gajeel. "… I'm sorry for getting you involved like this. If I'd known Gajeel would've been so difficult about it, I would've prepared myself better for dealing with him."

"I'd love to join your team… but I could never…"

"Don't worry. I won't let you fight him on your own. Although I highly doubt I would be able to defeat him on my own; I'm going to need your help."

"I–I'm not much of a fighter, but I can use all kinds of support magic." Wendy said without showing much confidence.

"That'll be just fine, Wendy." I reassured her. "I have faith in your abilities as a Fairy Tail wizard." I continued, and gently placed my hand on her head. She looked up with a smile.

Now all we had to do was beat Gajeel in a battle to win his respect. Knowing him, he would agree with a fight against the two of us. Fighting tough battles was what he lived for, so a tough fight was what we needed to give him. However, that was easier said than done. While I had learned Wendy was able to use healing magic, it was too slow to be of use in the middle of combat, and I had no idea what she meant by 'all kinds of support magic.' That implied she knew more than just healing.

As for myself, I hadn't been sitting still since the last time I fought alongside Gajeel. I might be able to take him by surprise if he continued to underestimate my abilities. It surely wasn't a tactic I was hoping to rely on, but considering how strong Gajeel was, I would have to take advantage of everything I could if I wanted to have a chance at winning this. 

* * *

The next morning… Apparently, the rumour of a fight between me and Gajeel had been spreading, and people looked with excitement as I entered the guild hall that morning. Were they looking forward to seeing us fight? I ignored them, and went straight to Gajeel, who was in his usual corner, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed as if he was asleep.

"Wendy and I will fight you!" I confronted him, and pointed my finger at him. "If we win, you'll let her join as member of the team."

"That sounds good to me, geehee." Gajeel had woken up in an instant, and showed a bloodthirsty grin. "But don't think I'll be holding back."

"Neither will we."

We decided the best place to fight would be outside the city walls, where it would be unlikely for us to cause collateral damage. Wendy had come, too, and some other guild members were following as well, not wanting to miss out on the chance of watching a Dragon Slayer in action. I felt nervous about going up against Gajeel, but I had to put on a mask of confidence for Wendy. She would have to be the key to winning this fight, as I wouldn't be able to do it alone; the only way for that to happen was by preventing her from losing spirit.

We found a nice and open field of grass, not far outside of the city. This would be our arena. Gajeel and I stood a distance away from each other; Wendy was a little behind me, ready to back me up with her support magic.

Max, who was one of the guild members that followed us to this place, had decided to take up the role of judge and commentator. He stood in the middle, between Gajeel and me. "On the left, we have the fearsome metal Dragon Slayer, Gajeel! For sure not an opponent you'd want to mess with, just look at those eyes!" Max shouted, really getting into his role. "On the right, we have two of Fairy Tail's most recent rookies. The cool-headed lightning wizard, Roth! And on his side, the lovely Sky Maiden, Wendy! Who will win this battle of steel, lightning and air! We'll find out soon enough!" He now took some steps back, getting ready to let us fight. "Both sides look ready for combat! Let the battle start in three… two… one… go!" With that, he quickly jumped backwards, not wanting to get caught in any fighting.

Gajeel transformed his arm into the metal club I was used to seeing him with in combat, and immediately charged right at me. His hits were powerful as ever, but his fighting style was straightforward and predictable. I was able to cast Prequip onto myself, and get out of the way of Gajeel's first attack that was aimed at me. Gajeel made it obvious he wasn't interested in fighting Wendy, as he purely focused his attacks at me. I had expected no less from him, and it made things easier, as I wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt.

Each of Gajeel's swings using his metal club were strong enough to deal serious damage to me if they were to hit me; I put all my attention on making sure that wouldn't happen. It just made it difficult for me to find an opening in which to counterattack. I wouldn't be able to win if all I did was avoid getting hit.

"O swift winds that speed through the heavens! Vernier!" Wendy shouted as she cast a spell. A glow appeared around my body, and suddenly I felt much lighter and swifter. This must be part of her support magic. I sped away from Gajeel's attack zone, and sped in a curve around him. He hadn't realised what happened just yet; his back was wide open to an attack. I channelled a powerful Lightning Shock, which struck him right where I wanted. Gajeel was hurt, and instantly turned around to face me. He figured out my speed had been greatly increased, and that he had to get serious if he wanted to hit me now. I attacked him with my sword, but he parried most my strikes using his arm of metal. I was still getting some hits in on him; he had a hard time keeping up with my speed boost.

"Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!" His attack came out of nowhere and landed against my shoulder as I failed to fully dodge it. His attack knocked me back; I stumbled and fell down on the ground as I lost my balance. I was lucky my armoured shoulder pad softened the blow somewhat, but it still hurt. I had been careless by staying so close up to him. In the corner of my eye I saw Wendy looking shocked; she wasn't focused. I got up and prepared to get back into the fight.

Wendy's spell had mostly been vanished due to her lack of focus after I got hit, but the little bit I had left I'd make sure to use to my advantage. Gajeel still wasn't fast enough to keep up with every attack I dealt at him, and I noticed his growing frustration as he was forced into defending himself. This time I just had to be more careful with keeping my distance.

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel's arm was now a heavy metal blade. It looked even more dangerous the club version he'd normally been using. I was already somewhat weakened by his punch from earlier, I didn't think I would be able to stand up again after getting hit by an attack from his blade arm. I cast Photon Shield in response, which would make it more difficult for him to get up close. But Gajeel seemed to be ignoring the effects of my shield, and forced me into fighting close combat with him again. This wasn't looking great. The effect of Wendy's spell had now completely vanished, making it much harder to keep avoiding getting hit. I blocked his attacks using my sword, but he put so much force into every attack, that it still hurt my arm and hand in which I was holding my sword. It was only a matter of time before he would hit me now. 

* * *

As I failed to react to his next attack, his sword arm struck me with the overwhelming power of a dragon. The blow sent me flying backwards. I didn't want it to end like this, but in my current state I wouldn't even be able to get up again. I was on the brink of losing consciousness as I lied in the grass. I heard Wendy's footsteps coming closer. Was she going to try to heal me in the middle of combat? I had told her not to; it would be too dangerous. I felt her healing magic taking effect and the pain was already beginning to fade away.

"Geehee. I should thank you for saving me the trouble of taking you out separately." I could hear Gajeel saying. Oh, no. He was planning on attacking us both at the same time. I wanted to tell Wendy to get out of the way, but I was unable to move or speak.

"I… I won't let you! Roth has put his faith in me, we won't lose to you!" Wendy shouted back at Gajeel as she still channelled healing magic to me. Just what was she planning on doing?

"Iron Dragon Roar!" That was one of Gajeel's most powerful techniques. Wendy would be finished if she wouldn't get out of the way now.

"Sky Dragon… Roar!" What? Was she a Dragon Slayer, like Natsu and Gajeel?

I could feel the blow of the two forces of magic clashing with each other. It was followed by a huge explosion. Had she managed to successfully cancel out his finisher spell? Not only that, but she had continued to heal me at the same time she'd defended us from Gajeel's attack. I got myself on my feet again, still amazed by how effective that healing magic was. Gajeel couldn't believe his eyes when he saw us both still standing after he had used one of his most powerful techniques. He quickly prepared himself for another round. However, this time, it seemed we were having the advantage. Gajeel was running out of magic, having cast a great deal of spells in a short period of time, while I had been conserving most of my magic and was healed back up again by Wendy. This was our chance to finish him.

I looked at Wendy, and nodded at her with a smile. She knew this was going to be our moment to strike back. With the last of her power she cast Vernier on me again. I felt completely reenergised after being healed and now under the effects of her support magic again. While Gajeel had been drained of quite a lot of his magic, he was still not to be underestimated. I had to use a new technique I'd been working on for some time now. An advanced spell that consumes a great deal of magic, but should be effective at putting an end to this fight. I cleared my mind, focused on the flow of energy and channelled it towards my hands and feet.

"New Advanced Lightning Technique! Echoing Thunder!"

I Lightning Stepped through Gajeel, striking him with my lightning-charged sword as I passed him. He should now be paralysed and unable to defend himself for a full second. It would be enough to follow up with the rest of my technique. I immediately Lightning Stepped back to my previous location, striking him once more. Every step of this technique required full focus, and drained a lot of magic at once, but if kept going, it would manage to deal massive amounts of damage to the target. I repeated the same two steps several times over again, Lightning Stepping back and forth, stunning Gajeel with every strike. I was almost out of magic now, this would be the finishing blow. My final Lightning Step was followed up by a large explosion, right at Gajeel's location.

I was out of breath after I finished my technique, but as the dust of the explosion cleared, it had proven to be successful. Gajeel was down on his knees and trembling.

A moment of silence followed. Was Gajeel still able to get up after my finisher attack? The hand holding my sword was shaking. I had pretty much used up all my magic with Echoing Thunder; I didn't think I'd be able to fight back if this was not the end of our fight. It was the same for Wendy I noticed, she looked completely drained from healing me and countering Gajeel's attack earlier. 

* * *

"Hehee… Geheehee." Gajeel began to laugh all of a sudden as he was still on his knees. "That…. That was great!"

Max made his way back to the battlefield. "C–Can you believe it!? The Dragon has been tamed! Roth and Wendy are the winners of this fight!" Applause and cheering followed; it seemed everyone was impressed by our performance in battle. I let out a sigh of relief, glad it was over, and happy that we had managed to win. That meant our team would finally be complete.

I walked up to Gajeel and offered him a hand to help him get up, but he refused my help and got up on his own. "Does this mean you'll accept Wendy as our third member?" I asked him, just to be sure he would keep himself to our agreement.

"You two weren't as weak as I thought…" Gajeel replied. "... So, sure. She can join for all I care." He tried to sound indifferent, as he usually did, but I could notice he'd really enjoyed his battle against us. After I got approval from Gajeel to let Wendy join, I turned to her.

"Wendy, will you join my team with Gajeel?" I had to ask her, even though I knew she would agree to join us.

"No way is she joining you barbarians!" Carla came between us and looked me angrily in the eyes. "Wendy, I do not approve of this!" She said as she turned back to Wendy.

"Carla, I know you care deeply for me..." Wendy said to her companion. "… but these are my friends, I want to be part of their team!" She tried to reason with her.

"To think they dragged you into taking part in a senseless battle. Some nice friends you have!" Carla wasn't going to agree with Wendy's decision.

"Be that way, then. I'm still joining Roth's team!" Wendy said, upset by the argument with her cat companion.

I looked at Gajeel, unsure what to do about the two. He looked back and silently shrugged. He didn't seem to know either, or just didn't care. Maybe I should try talking to the cat…

"Carla, with Wendy joining us, you know you're part of the team now, too." I said as I sat down in front of Carla, and tried to be as friendly as I could. "We'll be really–"

"Look, I don't care about you and your stupid team. But don't think I'll leave Wendy's side just because she's with you primitive brutes now." She said to interrupt me.

Nope, for now, there was nothing more I could do to convince her we weren't as bad as she thought we were. But at least she would be staying with Wendy, that was good enough for me.

We all went back to the guild hall to rest from the battle we had, and a small celebration was held, dedicated to the three of us having formed a team. It had been just over a month since I'd joined Fairy Tail, but I'd already made lots of friends, and from today on, I was officially part of a team. I felt happy and excited about what the future would bring.


	26. Chapter 26 - Thunder Dragons

.

 **CHAPTER 26  
THUNDER DRAGONS**

I was one of the first to enter the guild hall this early morning. My excitement had woken me up this early; today would be our first team meeting. I hadn't told Gajeel and Wendy about it yet; I would wait for them to arrive while sitting at a table by myself. I felt a little sleepy, but I wouldn't allow myself to fall asleep. When did Gajeel normally wake up and make his way to the guild hall, anyway? He often was there before me, and then spent most of the morning standing in his usual corner, pretending as if he was asleep. As for Wendy, I actually did not know. It hadn't been too long ago since she joined the guild, and I hadn't paid much attention to her before I'd decided I wanted her as part of the team.

A while later, Gajeel finally entered the guild hall. He had that serious look on his face as he usually did. I called him to my table as soon as I saw him enter.

"Oi, what're you doing up so early?" He asked as he took a seat.

"First team meeting is today!" I said proudly. "Now we just need to wait for Wendy."

"By the way, I want a rematch some other day." Gajeel said whilst planting his fist on the table.

"And you'll get one. But man, you're one hard hitter. I can't believe you took me out in almost one attack." I said, reflecting back on our fight from yesterday.

"Geh, you're not too shabby either." Gajeel admitted with a smirk. "And the brat, to think she would cancel out my dragon breathe attack…"

We spent some time talking about our battle, then went back to quietly waiting for Wendy to appear. 

* * *

"You. Wake up." Gajeel said while poking me.

Ugh, had I fallen asleep with my head on the table? I opened my eyes and looked up. I saw Wendy sitting in front of me, with Carla next to her. "Good morning." She said and smiled.

"Oh, everyone's here!" I quickly regained my excitement from earlier. "It's time for our first team meeting!" I announced loudly.

"Oohh, what is it about?" Wendy said with much curiosity. Gajeel, on the other hand, had a bored look on his face and didn't show much interest.

"Well, I've been thinking about this, and I realised we still need a name for our team. So… any suggestions?" I asked both Wendy and Gajeel.

"Hmmm, how about the Cake Bakers?" Wendy said and giggled, knowing full well we would never go with such a silly name for our team.

"Urgh, don't even remind me of that… You got any ideas, Gajeel?"

"Bah, I don't care. And here I was hoping this meeting would actually be interesting..." Gajeel grumbled, and leaned his head on his hand, facing away from us.

"I know! We could be the Blue Fairies!" Wendy suggested enthusiastically.

"Nah, that's too cute. How about Ga-Ro-We-Ca! It's parts of all our names combined into one!" I suggested, proud of my awesome name idea.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard." Gajeel mumbled, still facing away.

"I thought you said you didn't care." I grumbled back at him.

"My, my. It's no surprise you simpletons have so much trouble coming up with a name." Carla said, and leaped onto the table. "How about the Thunder Dragons?" She then suggested.

"Thunder… Dragons. I like it!" I said happily. The 'Thunder' as part of my type of magic, and the 'Dragons' taken from the fact Gajeel and Wendy are both Dragon Slayers; it's pretty creative, I thought.

"That's such a cool name, Carla! I'm so happy you're with us!" Wendy said with a big smile, and hugged her companion.

"Hmpf, don't think too much of it. But I'm glad that I was able to be of help." Carla responded, not wanting to give us the impression she cared about the team at all, but she was enjoying the hug from Wendy.

"Thunder Dragons it is, then!" I shouted and held my first up in the air. Wendy brightly smiled. Gajeel still didn't show much enthusiasm, but at least he seemed fine with going with Carla's idea for the team name. 

* * *

"Hey, Gajeel! I heard you got your butt kicked by these two." Natsu said cheerfully as he walked up to where we were sitting. Gray, Lucy and Happy were with him.

"Geh, only because I went easy on them." Gajeel defended himself, but he was clearly irritated by Natsu's remark.

"Really? From the stories you were all like this after the fight." Natsu said as he did a funny impression of how he imagined Gajeel on the ground, all beaten up after the fight.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy cheerfully added.

"You're going too far now, Salamander!" Gajeel roared and bashed his forehead against Natsu's.

"So, you really did join Roth's team, Wendy?" Lucy asked her, ignoring the childish bickering between the other two Dragon Slayers.

"I did. And we just came up with a name for our team!" Wendy replied with a smile.

"Hey, Natsu. This means she won't be there to help you cure your motion sickness anymore." Gray announced to Natsu, who in an instant stopped his fight with Gajeel and came back at us.

"No way! Wendy, how could you do this to me!?" Natsu cried loudly.

"I'm sorry, Natsu..." Wendy apologised, feeling slightly bad for him. "But I'm sure you'll manage just fine!" She then said, and showed a smile to try to cheer him up a little.

"We'll gladly trade you in for Gray, though, if you ever change your mind! Right, Lucy?" Natsu said in a desperate attempt to get Wendy on his team.

"Why are you even asking me?" Lucy said, not amused by Natsu's dumb suggestion.

"Why don't you trade yourself in for her?" Gray said dryly.

"That wouldn't solve anything, are you stupid, pervert?" Natsu growled back at Gray.

"I'm surprised it didn't take you longer to realise it." Gray said with a smug look in an attempt to push Natsu over the edge. "… Maybe you aren't as dumb as you look."

"You're going down!" Natsu jumped at Gray, but got interrupted by a hit on the head from Gajeel.

"I wasn't done with you yet, Salamander. Get back here!" Gajeel grabbed Natsu by one of his legs and the two went rolling over the floor in a cloud of dust, fighting each other again. 

* * *

"So, what will your team do, Wendy?" Lucy asked to break our attention away from the pointless interactions between Natsu, Gray and Gajeel.

"I… uhm." She wasn't sure how to answer the question.

"We'll make it the best team in Fairy Tail of course!" I said to answer Lucy's question.

"I see. But remember, we have Erza on the team. That won't be easy for you to beat!" Lucy stated proudly, defending her own team.

"And you have me, Happy!" Happy added.

"I'm well aware of that. But we have two Dragon Slayers on our team!" I said with confidence, and putting emphasis on the 'two'.

"Well, I'll be looking forward to hearing from you about your adventures." Lucy said with a friendly smile. She seemed happy that Wendy had found a team to join.

"You heard that, Salamander? We'll be the best team here in Fairy Tail." Gajeel said as the two had finally calmed down a little.

"Not in a million years, but I'd like to see you try!" Natsu said with a grin on his face.

I found the friendly rivalry between the two Dragon Slayers amusing to watch. Gajeel appeared much livelier whenever Natsu was around; it turned him into a completely different person.

Once Natsu and his friends had taken their leave, it was time to get back to business.

"To celebrate the formation of our team, the Thunder Dragons, how do you guys feel about doing a mission together?" I asked Gajeel and Wendy.

"Geehee, sounds good to me. I'm ready for some action." Gajeel replied with a smirk.

"I'll try my best!" Wendy said boldly.

With that, we went to request board, in the hope of finding a job request worthy of our team's attention.


	27. Chapter 27 - Squirrels

.

 **CHAPTER 27  
SQUIRRELS**

"Let's look for some mega tough request!" I suggested excitedly as the three of us were standing at the request board, looking at all the job requests.

"Geehee, I'd be up for that." Gajeel said with his usual way of laughing.

"Maybe we could pick something a little easier…?" Wendy said with a soft voice, and looked down. "…I'm not fully recovered from yesterday yet. So, please?"

"Okay, then. What would you like to do, Wendy?" I asked her friendly.

She had a look at some of the lower ranked requests, then after some time she took a paper from the board and showed it to us.

 _ **Squirrel problem – Requesting help!**  
Requirements: Be able to deal with squirrels.  
Payment: 1 500 Jewel  
Rank: D_

"Are you serious!? Squirrels!?" Gajeel groaned loudly, not happy with the low ranked job request Wendy chose for us to go with.

"I thought it looked like something that could be fun…" Wendy responded, slightly upset by Gajeel's blunt reaction. "…I can look for something else if you'd like. What do you think, Roth?"

"I… uhm. I don't know." I said as I scratched my head, not really impressed with Wendy's pick much either. "… But if it's what you'd like to do, I'm fine with it." I could hear Gajeel already sighing in frustration after hearing me agreeing with Wendy's job pick. Sure, it wouldn't be the most exciting thing ever, but if she was still feeling weak, then going with a low ranked job for now wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Yo, Gajeel. Don't worry, we'll let you pick our next job, all right?" I said while grinning in an attempt to cheer him up a bit, and gave him a pat on the back.

"You better keep your word, or else I'm outta this…" Gajeel grumbled, and followed us as we went on our way to where we needed to be for our job. 

* * *

Our client was supposedly just outside the city walls of Magnolia. The big roads leading to the city were popular spots for travelling merchants to set up temporary market stalls. Amongst one of the many merchants that were camping along the roadside was the man we were looking for.

"Ah! You're finally here!" He shouted at us before we had even found him. He was sitting behind a small market stall with some trinkets and other stuff spread out on it. "You came just in time! I bet the squirrels are about to strike again soon!" He shrieked like a madman. Was it just me, or did he seem a little out of his mind.

"What's all this squirrel stuff about?" Gajeel brusquely asked, getting straight to business.

"Haven't you heard!? They attack me and the other merchants here. They take our goods and bombard us with nuts! How are we supposed to do our trading with these monsters around!?" The man raised his voice with every new sentence; I wondered how much longer he could keep up doing that. "I want you to find a solution! Kill 'em, burn 'em, throw 'em off a cliff! I don't care!"

"We're already on it!" I said loudly to make sure he'd hear me. "Come on, you guys." We left our client and walked up to the edge of the forest, where presumably the troublesome squirrels were coming from, happy to be out of his shouting range. We all sat down in the grass, a distance away from the merchants and their market stalls.

"Do we really need to kill them?" Wendy said with somewhat of a sad face.

"We'll first wait for the squirrels to make their appearance. Maybe we'll find a way that won't involve hurting or killing them." I said to let her know we weren't just going to slaughter a bunch of squirrels only because our client didn't give us any other ideas that might work just as well.

"The guy said they'd appear soon. I guess we'll be waiting here, then?" Gajeel asked me.

"I'd say that's the plan for now." 

* * *

And so, we sat in the grass, observing the crowded roadside while waiting for the squirrels to show up. There was a surprisingly amount of traffic going from and to the city. No wonder this was such a popular spot for trading.

An hour or so of waiting later… Gajeel was taking a nap, while Wendy was humming a song and still enjoying watching the surroundings and the surprisingly nice and warm weather today. I felt bored, but I didn't want to take my eyes off the edge of the forest. We had to be prepared in case the squirrels would show up. At that moment, I finally saw something moving in one of the bushes, not too far away from us. Wendy had noticed it, too; we were both staring intently at it now, waiting for something to happen…

Suddenly, a huge swarm of squirrels appeared from the bush and from behind several trees nearby. There were at least fifty of them, all moving as one. They ran up to the market stalls and began to violently throw nuts at the merchants and travellers. People were shouting and running away in fear, covering their heads with their hands to protect themselves from the barrage of nuts thrown at them. All the commotion had woken up Gajeel and he immediately got up, ready to take action against the swarm of aggressive squirrels.

"No, Gajeel!" Wendy shouted at him, but it was too late. Gajeel charged at them with his arm turned into a metal club, and swung it at the squirrels. They all moved out of the way of his attack, and some of them jumped at Gajeel, sinking their sharp, tiny teeth into his legs. Gajeel shook his legs in an attempt to shake them off, and then swung his arm at the other group some more. Several squirrel were crushed by his attack, Wendy covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting to see the brutal battering of the squirrels. Something was off, though, I noticed. The squirrels struck by Gajeel's metal club simply faded away… were they just magic-created illusions? Gajeel had noticed the same, but there was no point in questioning what was going on. The remaining squirrels now retreated back into the woods, and Gajeel immediately went after them. I grabbed Wendy, who was still in shock, by her arm and took her with me as I followed after Gajeel.

We chased the squirrels for a good ten minutes before coming they finally stopped and turned around. We had arrived in an open, grassy spot somewhere in the forest… This was the same place where Levy had brought me to train magic on my second day in Fairy Tail? Most of the grass had grown back already, I noticed. More importantly, however, was the presence of a huge monster squirrel standing in the centre of the field. It stood on his hind legs, and was at least as tall as Gajeel. Its arms looked well-trained, big and all muscles and its paws were decorated with huge claws. Its mouth was full of large, razor sharp teeth that looked like they could be used to rip the flesh off its prey. Just what was this thing, and what was it doing here?

The smaller squirrels all circled around the big one, and faced us, pointing their tails up. They looked ready to attack us if we would come any closer. Behind them, a pile of treasure was spread out on the grass. Were these the goods they have been stealing from the merchants? 

* * *

"I am Nuts! Captain Nuts!" The big squirrel growled with a deep and low voice. "Prepare… to die, humans!" It pointed at us, and all of its squirrel minions charged at us. I pushed Wendy back to stay behind us; she still had a scared look on her face, it was clear she wasn't prepared for combat at all; Gajeel and I would take care of this. Gajeel swept his metal club low over the ground, and took out a large number of squirrels all at once. A few of them jumped over it, but I had already charged up Lightning Shocks to take care of them. With all of its minions gone, Captain Nuts decided it was time to get into the action himself. Without wasting any time, he came at us, one of his arms raised high. I ran to the left, but Gajeel stayed right where he was, ready to take whatever the big squirrel would throw at him head on. Captain Nuts swept his arm down, swiping its claws at Gajeel, who stood right in front of him. Gajeel used his metal arm to block the hit, but the attack still left huge scratch marks behind. In a swift motion, following up the powerful scratch attack, Captain Nuts used his other arm, this time aiming low.

"Nut Crusher!" It threw its fist at Gajeel's crotch. Gajeel, however, didn't seem to be hurt by it at all, and took the opportunity to punch Captain Nuts in the face with his metal fist, sending it flying backwards. "Nice try, but I can turn my body in metal." He said with a smirk.

It was my turn to attack now; I came in from the left side, ready to fire off several Lightning Shock spells at Captain Nuts, who was still hurt from Gajeel's punch. "Wall Nuts!" A protective magic barrier appeared at its side, effectively deflecting my spells.

"You're both going down now! Nutty Artillery!" It growled, and a huge portal in the sky appeared above both of us. Not a second later, a barrage of countless of nuts flew at us at incredibly high speed. I tried to block the nuts which were coming at me as bullets with my sword, but there too many of them. I was being pelted with nuts without a chance to defend myself. I fell to the ground and tried to roll myself out of the targeted area. My entire body was covered by bruises at this point. Gajeel seemed to have taken it a little better thanks to his metal skin, but even he had a hard time withstanding that many projectiles thrown at him at once.

"To think we're having trouble taking down a stupid squirrel. It's time to get serious." Gajeel said with a grimace. "Take this… Iron Dragon Roar!" From his mouth burst a tornado of dark, grey magic. Captain Nuts hadn't foreseen a move like that and was forced into taking the full hit. After the dust of Gajeel's attack cleared, Captain Nuts was lying on the ground, heavily wounded.

Did we get him?

"How… How dare you…!" Captain Nuts growled as it slowly got up again. Its fur was all messed up and its body was trembling after taking Gajeel's spell to its face. "Feel the wrath of Nuts! Nuttin' Left To Lose!" It roared, and a spell circle appeared beneath its feet. A fiery aura enveloped its whole body, making it look even more bloodthirsty as before. This could get dangerous…

"You!" Gajeel shouted at me "Let's get this over with!"

I nodded. It seemed Gajeel had a combination attack in mind. Knowing him, he would attack at close range. That would mean I'd have to give him something to work with at that range. "Photon Shield!" But instead of casting it onto myself, I surrounded Captain Nuts with it. Now it would be up to Gajeel to take advantage of it.

"Iron Hammer of the Thunder God!" Gajeel formed his arm into a giant hammer and smashed Captain Nuts with it. It tried to block the hit from Gajeel, but my electric shield surrounding Captain Nuts, made contact with it, as it was pressured inwards by Gajeel's attack, effectively paralysing the arm that it tried to block the hit with. A massive amount of electric sparks exploded from the impact of Gajeel's hammer attack, adding to the damage Captain Nuts took from the hit. Gajeel repeatedly bashed in on the giant squirrel a few more times, before sending it flying over the horizon with a finishing strike. We could be pretty sure that would be the last we'd see of the monster squirrel. 

* * *

"Geehee, that was fun." Gajeel laughed.

My body was still sore from being struck by the volley of nuts earlier, but I felt happy we had been able to defeat the monster and clear our job. We all took a bunch of items from the treasure in our arms to bring back to the merchants, and then headed back to our client. Wendy quietly followed us.

It wasn't just our client who was happy to hear that we'd deal with the squirrel menace. All the merchants cheered at us, and a few even gave us some extra Jewel for our troubles. With the hard earned money in our pockets we went back to Magnolia City.

"I'm sorry I wasn't of any help to you…" Wendy suddenly said, and stopped. She looked down at the ground. Gajeel and I also stopped and turned around to face her.

"Geh, don't sweat it." Gajeel said, sounding indifferent, seemingly not at all bothered by the fact Wendy hadn't fought with us in battle.

"Right. You'd told us you were still feeling weak from yesterday, remember?" I said, following up Gajeel.

"But still…" Wendy said, still not happy with herself.

"If you're unable to fight, we'll be there to do it for you! That's what we as teammates are for." I continued, showing a smile. I knew how she felt… I had experienced the same in my first few battles after joining the guild. I was slow getting into battle, and I had felt weak and useless. Wendy wasn't a fighter; so, for her to suddenly been thrown into a battle when she'd expected a mission that wouldn't involve fighting must have been hard for her. There was no need for her to feel bad about it.

"Thanks… you two. For being so nice to me!" She said, and smiled as she wiped some tears out of her eyes.

With that, our team, the Thunder Dragons, had successfully completed its first guild job.


	28. New Year's Special - Fairies In The Snow

.

 **NEW YEAR'S SPECIAL  
FAIRIES IN THE SNOW**

I looked up at the dark evening clouds above, watching the snow slowly falling down from the sky. Such a magical sight… snowfall was pretty uncommon in this region. In fact, I didn't remember having seen it before. It had been snowing for almost a week straight now, but I couldn't get enough of it, even though being outside this much tended to freeze my fingers to the point they'd start feeling completely numb and turning them all shades of pale blue and purple, after which I'd return to my home or the guild hall to warm up again.

The guild hall had been full of laughter and happiness this whole past week. Nobody seemed to be doing any jobs this time of the year; we just stayed in the guild and partied all day long until we all fell asleep, then continued partying the next morning. The constant state of chaos inside the guild hall was a bit much for me, which was why I preferred these walks through the snow covered streets of Magnolia. Especially during the late hours, not many people were outside, and everything was so quiet and peaceful.

These moments without others around me got me pondering about my past again. It had been quite some time ago since I'd woken up on the floor in the guild hall of Fairy Tail and became a member of the guild. My memories of the past had remained completely blank, making me feel as if I had not even existed before that time. The only thing that contradicted that thought was the fact I had learned to use magic at a rate that should not be possible for a complete beginner; I was somehow borrowing from experiences I must have gained in the past… 

* * *

I felt something pulling at my cloak. I turned around and saw Wendy standing beside me. I hadn't even noticed her coming up close?

"I called your name several times, but you weren't responding… you're okay, Roth?" She asked me with a sliver of worry in her voice.

"I'm sorry… I was in thoughts. What are you doing out here, Wendy?" I answered, feeling a bit dazed from being taken out of my thoughts so abruptly.

"I tried to sleep, but some of the girls are celebrating New Year's Eve in the girl's dorm… they all got drunk and were making a bunch of noise." Wendy showed a faint smile as she explained. "It's so nice outside, though… I'm glad I came here!" She then said in a happier tone, and held up her hand to watch the snowflakes land on it.

"Anywhere's better than with that drunken bunch!" Carla, walking beside Wendy, stated disagreeably. "They should know better in the presence of a young girl!" Wendy silently giggled, amused by the ranting of her cat companion.

"Wait, it's New Year's Eve tonight!?" I asked in astonishment. I thought it'd be tomorrow.

"It is. They'll have fireworks at midnight!" Wendy said with excitement.

"I'd like to watch the event with you and Gajeel... and Carla." I said.

"I'd love to!" Wendy said enthusiastically "…I believe I saw Gajeel leaving the guild hall earlier today." She then told me. And so we went to Gajeel's place, hoping he'd be there. 

* * *

I knocked on the door of Gajeel's house, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and again.

"Yo, Gajeel! I know you're in there!" I yelled. "Open up that door or I'll break it open!" Of course, I never would, but I'd have to try to get his attention somehow.

"Can't I get some sleep for once!? Leave me alone already!" Gajeel stuck his head out of the window on the first floor. "Oh. It's you." He then said as he saw us standing below, at his doorstep. Wendy and I patiently waited for him to get ready and come out. After a minute or two he finally opened the door, dressed lightly as usual, not at all suitable for the cold weather outside.

"What is it you want from me?" He grunted, not looking too pleased about getting woken up by my knocking and yelling this late in the evening.

"New Year's Eve. Fireworks. Wanna come?" I dryly asked, thinking it would be obvious.

"I was planning on sleeping through it, but it looks like that's not gonna happen…" He sighed.

"Does that mean you'll come with us, Gajeel?" Wendy asked friendly.

"Sure."

"Of course he will. After all, we're the Thunder Dragons! We're doing this stuff together!" I grinned, happy that Gajeel agreed to come, too.

"You're sure you're not getting cold like that?" I asked Gajeel. I wondered how he could go outside without wearing anything more than what he normally wore.

"I'm fine." He said without expressing emotion, not showing any signs of the cold being a bother to him.

"I'm glad I dressed up warm for tonight." Wendy said happily. She wore a thick winter coat and a pair of warm mittens.

"Where are we going, anyway? You have a good spot in mind, Wendy?" I asked as we seemingly wandered around the streets of Magnolia without really going anywhere.

"Mhm, I do! Follow me!" Wendy said enthusiastically as she picked up Carla to hold her in her arms, and took the lead.

We followed her to someplace outside the city walls. The road here wasn't lit, but with everything covered in snow, it wasn't as dark as it would've otherwise been. She wandered off the path, up a hill where she finally stopped. The view on the city was great, all the houses looked so small from here. In the back of the city the Fairy Tail guild building, lit with all sorts of colourful lacrimas, was visible. It had stopped snowing, dark clouds were breaking apart, revealing part of the beautiful starry sky. 

* * *

"This… This is the hill on which we formed our team." Wendy said softly and gently put Carla back onto the ground. "… Isn't it beautiful here?"

I could agree with that. She had picked the perfect place for us to watch the firework show.

"It shouldn't be long till midnight…" Gajeel stated as he, too, looked at the view before us.

Wendy moved in between Gajeel and me, reaching her hands out at us both. "Let's hold hands." She said with a sweet smile. "Let's go into the new year together." I took her hand in mine. I could see Gajeel taking her other hand. We stood there for a while, silently watching the city from the hill on the outskirts, as the last minutes till the New Year were ticking by.

"Beginning from tomorrow… I'll work even harder on surpassing Salamander!" Gajeel said out loud, breaking the silence.

"A New Year's resolution…? I didn't know you were the type to make those, Gajeel" Wendy said, in wonder, as she looked up at him.

"Hmph." He didn't want to hear any comments about it.

"Hmm. I… I'd like to work on being more helpful to my friends and the guild." Wendy said decidedly after a short moment of thinking. "… What about you, Roth? Do you have a New Year's resolution?" She said, and looked at me. I honestly hadn't thought of any.

Before I could give an answer, fireworks went off above the city. Many projectiles were shot up into the air and burst into magnificent explosions of colourful lights and sparks, lighting up the sky all above Magnolia.

"Ahh!" Wendy uttered in a state of amazement and excitement. "It's my first time seeing this many go off!"

It was indeed more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. I felt happy for being able to experience all this with my two teammates at my side. I'm so lucky to have these two as my best friends, I thought. Even though it hadn't been that long ago since we got together and formed our team, the bond we shared was everything to me. I hoped it could stay like this forever… the three of us together as team in Fairy Tail. 

* * *

Suddenly, I felt something cold smacking against the side of my head. A snowball? Why could I never do my thinking without something interrupting me?

"C'mon, you!" Gajeel taunted me with a mischievous grin on his face and another snowball in one of his hands. "I want a rematch, here and now!"

I released Wendy's hand to wipe the snow off my head and turn my attention to Gajeel who seemed to want to battle me.

"A snowball fight?" I asked to make sure.

Gajeel threw the other snowball at my head as his answer to my question, but I could duck just in time to dodge it. I took that opportunity to gather some snow in my hands. It was pretty thick, making it easy to form a good snowball with. I immediately threw it at Gajeel who hadn't had time to make a new one yet, but he used his fist made of iron to block it.

So, he was using magic to block my snowballs… in that case I'd do the same back to his. I Prequipped myself with Lightning Battler gear, sadly I had to let go off the Lightning Edge in this fight, since I'd need both my hands for grabbing snow; I didn't feel comfortable channelling my magic directly from my hands, I simply was too used to using my sword, but it'd have to do. I launched Lightning Shocks at the snowballs Gajeel hurled at me. He noticed, and began turning his hands into metal scoops, so he could rapidly gather snow and sling it at me right away. I'd have to retaliate somehow.

"Teslas Blade!" I shouted as I picked up my sword from the ground and threw it in the snow nearby were Gajeel was standing. Sparks of lightning struck the snow, whipping it up into the air.

"I–I'll help! Sky Dragon… Roar!" Wendy appeared next to me and released a powerful tornado from her mouth, sending all the snow on our side towards Gajeel. I really hadn't expected her going that far, but her attack did seem to have worked effectively. When the effects of our spells finally settled, a huge ball of snow got lifted up. Gajeel held up a mega snowball, created from all the snow we had blown at him.

"I suggest you dodge this!" He yelled and threw it at me with all his might.

"No way! I'll take it head on!" I yelled back while bracing myself for impact.

All I could see was the white of the snowball that exploded in my face, which then was followed up by a loud "clunk!" as something hard hit my forehead. I fell on my back on the ground, almost knocked unconscious by whatever just hit me. I turned my head and saw a metal sphere lying nearby. That cheater!

"Roth! You're okay!?" Wendy yelled. I already could see her kneeling beside me. "You're bleeding slightly… I'll heal you!" I felt her healing magic instantly taking effect, making the pain in my head quickly fade away.

"Geehee, looks like I win!" Gajeel laughed as he claimed victory.

"That was hardly fair, and you know it." I groaned as I got myself up from the ground again after Wendy had finished healing me, but he wasn't listening to my complaining.

"Barbarians…" Carla sighed and shook her head in disbelieve at the result of our pointless battle. 

* * *

"Well, I'm gonna head back. I'm tired." Gajeel said abruptly.

I felt the same. And my hands were getting cold, too. We'd been outside for quite a while, and getting myself covered in snow during my fight certainly didn't help either. Wendy and I followed after him. Back in Magnolia City, I said goodbye to my two friends, and went back to my home alone. The events of tonight were still fresh in my head, I wanted to treasure these memories forever… With that thought in my head, I wondered if I had any experiences like today's before my time in Fairy Tail… before I had my memory wiped. Even though I was filling my head with difficult thoughts again, I fell almost instantly asleep on the couch in my home.

Tomorrow would be another day. The beginning of the New Year. I promised myself I would work on finding out a way to regain my old memories. That's my New Year's resolution.


	29. Chapter 28 - Ominous Clouds

.

 **CHAPTER 28  
OMINOUS CLOUDS**

Two weeks had passed since I'd formed a team with Gajeel and Wendy. During that time we had done a good number of jobs, and gotten to know each other better. Wendy had slowly been improving her performance in combat, becoming more and more confident with herself. Even Gajeel seemed to be impressed by the progress she'd been making. However, I'd noticed my own progress was starting to slow down now; my magic power didn't seem to be growing as fast as it did when I first started out… perhaps I was getting close to catching up to the level I was at before I'd lost my memories.

It was somewhat early in the morning, and I was sitting at a table by myself, lost in thought about all sorts of things. Normally Gajeel would've already been in the guild hall, but lately he seemed to be away most of the time; I had no idea what he was up to.

"Good morning, Roth!" Wendy came to my table and greeted me.

"Yo, Wendy. Have you seen Gajeel?" I asked her.

"No… I haven't seen him in days." Wendy said a little concerned.

"I saw him in the guild hall two days ago, but he's been avoiding us."

"Maybe something's bothering him… or he just needs some time alone?" Wendy guessed.

"Well, I don't mind. That man a bad influence on you, Wendy." Carla said. She had slowly been getting more tolerable towards the two of us, but she could still say mean things from time to time. More so when it came to Gajeel, who seemed to like to drag us along on job requests that involved a lot of fighting.

"He's not that bad…" Wendy softly said, defending him. 

* * *

"Hey, Carla!" Happy said, standing on the ground near the table. He held a fish with a nice, red ribbon wrapped around it. He jumped onto the table, next to where Carla was sitting. "I caught this fish. I thought I'd give it to you!" He said friendly, and offered her the fish.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Carla replied, instantly rejecting Happy's gift to her. "I don't like fish." She turned her head the other way.

"Tell me what you like, and I'll get it for–!" Happy said enthusiastically, but he got interrupted.

"You're annoying!" Carla yelled at him. "Please stop following me around." She said, and jumped off the table and walked away.

"Carla!" Wendy called her, but she ignored her. Happy had a sad and disappointed look on his face. I kind of felt bad for him. While Carla had slowly been warming up to Gajeel and me, she remained very unfriendly towards Happy, who liked to follow her around whenever he was with Natsu in the guild hall.

"Carla! Wasn't that a bit mean?" Wendy said to her companion as she got up. Carla only paused for a second, before walking out of the guild hall, not bothering with answering Wendy. She really did dislike Happy… But Happy wouldn't give up yet and ran after her.

"What's up with her all of a sudden?" I asked Wendy.

"I wish I knew, but she won't even talk about it with me." Wendy said, sounding a little sad. "I don't know what I should do… Sometimes I wish she would be a little more open with me."

"I understand what you mean."

"I… I'll go after them." She had made up her mind, and then left the guild hall. 

* * *

I was alone at my table again. I sighed. It sure is not easy having a team. First it's Gajeel who's been avoiding us for apparently no reason, and now Carla not wanting to talk to Wendy about her problem with Happy. It made me feel slightly depressed, especially since I felt so powerless about the situation.

A cold breeze swept through the guild hall. Dark clouds seemed to have gathered in the sky, and rain was starting to fall down. It was such nice weather only a moment ago… I hoped Wendy and the two cats would be able to make it back in time to the guild hall soon, they'd get cold if they'd stay outside in this weather.

Not much later, lightning flashes lit up the guild's interior, and thunder could be heard directly after it, meaning there was a storm developing right above the city. I was getting worried about Wendy… should I go out and try to find her? It had already been a while since she'd left, though, she could be anywhere. The chances I'd find her now would be poor. I just hoped she'd found shelter somewhere safe and dry.

The others in the guild hall weren't too happy with the sudden bad weather either. Juvia already defended herself in advance, stating she wasn't the one behind this rainfall.

Unavoidably, unrest was brewing at Team Natsu's table, where Gray was carefully drawing things on the face of Natsu, who was just taking a nap. Lucy tried to convince him it'd be better not to, but Gray didn't seem he could resist the temptation of pulling a prank on a sleeping Natsu. After some minutes, Natsu finally woke up and found out what happened to his face; of course, it was followed up by another brawl between the two rivals. They were funny to watch, and it was a nice way to pass the time while being unable to do much else, with how bad the weather was outside.

Elfman was criticising Droy and Jet again, as he often did. Apparently they had screwed up on their latest job, and Elfman just had to tell them how much of a failure they were. Lucky for them, Mirajane interrupted him, and told him to go to the church with her. Really, they were planning on going outside while the weather was this bad? It seemed to have gotten worse since it started, with lightning flashes appearing every minute or so, and rain pouring down more than ever before. I somehow had a bad feeling about all of this, and I continued to pray Wendy, Carla and Happy were somewhere safe. If only I had gone with Wendy when she went after Carla, I could have brought her back to the guild hall before the weather would've turned this bad.

A loud bang could be heard in the distance, and the ground trembled slightly. Had lightning struck a building nearby? The flashes of lightning had gotten worse over the past few minutes; this couldn't possibly be a normal storm. Seconds later my vision got blurry, my surroundings became warped… was it really my vision, or was I just dreaming? I felt a strange power going through my entire body. A blinding flash of light followed after that, and I felt as I was being transported at incredibly high speed, but I could not move myself or see anything. Time seemed to freeze, and at that moment I went completely blank.


	30. Chapter 29 - The Other World

.

 **CHAPTER 29  
THE OTHER WORLD**

I found myself lying on the ground… Where was I, and what had happened to me? Even though it had only been a moment ago since the strange event took place in the guild hall, it felt as if hours, or even days, somehow had passed. I opened my eyes, and got myself up on my feet. Erza and Gray were beside me, and before me I saw Gajeel standing. We were surrounded by a crowd of people in the middle of a city that was unknown to me.

"Oh, you're conscious." Gajeel said, looking glad that the three of us were doing fine.

"What's going on?" Gray asked, and looked around. That's the question I'd liked to have answered at this moment as well.

"We'll talk later. Right now, we gotta get outta here" Gajeel stated. Soldiers appeared from behind the crowd and surrounded us, pointing their weapons at us. Gray attempted to cast an ice spell, but nothing was happening. While I could still feel the flow of magic inside of me, I was unable to take ahold of it, escaping from my grip with every attempt of controlling it. What were we supposed to do?

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel somehow was able to use magic, and used his attack on a group of soldiers, blasting an opening in their formation. The soldiers hadn't expected an attack like that to be used against them, and the whole place was covered in a cloud of dust; this was the perfect chance to get away from them. 

* * *

We ran through the streets, leaving the soldier-infested plaza behind us. Eventually, we stopped in a small alleyway, where we hopefully wouldn't be found so easily. It was time for some answers.

"How come you were able to use magic?" Gray asked Gajeel.

He showed us a glass bottle filled with red pills.

"You won't be able to use magic before you take one of these." Gajeel explained and then gave one pill to each of us.

At that moment, another person approached us. He had the same face as the Gajeel we knew, but dressed completely different. Not to speak of the unusual haircut…

"What is happening? Why are there two of you!?" Erza asked, bewildered at the sight of a second Gajeel. I was wondering exactly the same thing, just how could there be two Gajeels at the same time?

"I knew the Earth Land me would be able to do it." The other Gajeel said with a smile. He somehow looked friendlier than the Gajeel we knew. "All of you…" He said as he pointed as Erza, Gray and me. "You were all turned into a giant lacrima. Thanks to the other me, you're free now."

"We thought the entire guild would be inside of it, but it turned out you three were enough to form a lacrima that big on your own." The real Gajeel continued explaining to us.

"Wait, why were we turned into a lacrima?" I asked them both.

We then got the full story about how the king of this world wants his hands on the magic power we possess, as the magic in this world is running low. It all seemed a little farfetched to me, and I was still confused as to how there could be two Gajeels walking around at the same time. There were so many unanswered questions, but it seemed we wouldn't have time to get through it all.

We all took the mysterious pill Gajeel had given to us. It didn't take long before I could feel the effects of it becoming active as I was able to freely touch the flow of magic inside of me again.

"I've heard rumours of soldiers capturing two Exceeds, along with two strangers, crawling around in the caves below the city." Edolas Gajeel informed us a moment after we had taken our pills. "They must be the ones you told me about, Earth Land me…"

"Worthless. Without magic they won't have a way to escape... You three infiltrate the castle and get Salamander and the rest outta there." Gajeel said to us. "I'll keep looking for the main lacrima and keep the city guards at bay, got that?"

"With our magic back that should be a piece of cake." Gray said with a confident smirk.

"Be careful, Gajeel." Erza told him, and then came with us on our way to the castle gates. 

* * *

With so many guards swarming around in the city, the castle should be light on defences, making it easier for us to get where we need to be. There were still some guards left at the main gates, but they stood no chance against the magic we wielded.

The other Gajeel had told us the prison cells were in the upper parts of the castle, which seemed strange to us, as dungeons were generally underground, but we trusted him with the information he'd given us and went upstairs. We had only just entered the castle dungeon hallways when we already heard noise coming from distance away. Voices that sounded like Lucy, Happy and Carla could be heard amongst the shouting of soldiers. But without a way to use magic they wouldn't last long against them; we had to hurry. We ran as fast as we could to where the noise was coming from. There was loud screaming; would we still be in time? Gray used his ice magic to break down the wooden door that was between us and the voices we heard, causing an explosion.

Through the dust of the explosion we could see Lucy, Happy and Carla all down on the ground, with an army of soldiers standing in front of them.

"What's happening?" A strangely familiar female voice said, confused by what caused this explosion.

"You've got some nerve, lady." Gray said, he sounded angry. "You're doing this, knowing full well they're with our guild?"

"We don't take kindly to those who harm our fellow guild members!" Erza followed up.

"This makes all of you our enemy… Fairy Tail's enemy!" I finally said. They had to pay for hurting our comrades.

"Gray… Erza, Roth!" Lucy shouted while still lying on the ground and with a thankful look in her eyes. She must have gone through a lot before we'd arrived here.

As the dust cleared, it revealed the woman who was right in front of us: a copy of Erza. How could this be… why were there other versions of our guild members in this new world? This Erza was clearly on the side of the soldiers, though, making her our enemy.

"Tell us, where are our friends!?" Gray shouted, getting to business as he prepared an ice spell. Not waiting for an answer from the soldiers, he instantly turned the entire ground into ice, rooting them in place. The other Erza, however, managed to get out of the way just in time and aimed a counterattack at Gray with her warspear; the original Erza jumped in between to block her attack. Meanwhile, I ran up to Lucy's side to help her get up and make sure she was okay. She had some bruises, but nothing too serious.

Suddenly we could hear Natsu shouting in agony.

"He must be up ahead!" Happy shouted.

"Wendy must be with him." Carla said after him.

"Gray, Roth! Go on ahead!" Erza shouted at us as she was fighting her other self. "I can handle this on my own!"

"Right!" We ran to where we heard Natsu's voice coming from just a moment ago. 

* * *

"How did you guys even get back to normal?" Lucy asked us while we were running through the empty dungeon corridors.

"Gajeel showed up and broke us free from the lacrima in which we were imprisoned." Gray explained to her.

"He then gave us these pills that allow us to use magic in this place." I continued, and made electric sparks come from my fist, showing her I was able to use magic, too.

"Gajeel's Dragon Slayer magic is capable of turning us back to normal from the lacrima, which is why he's outside, looking for where the rest is." Gray said.

"I know where their lacrima is!" Happy said as he held up his little paw.

"Seriously? You think you could help Gajeel get to it?" We asked him.

"Aye! I'll take him there!" Happy said with determination.

"Gajeel is rampaging in the middle of town, he should be easy to spot." Gray instructed Happy, who then flew back through the hallway, towards the exit to get Gajeel to where the main lacrima was.

"We'd better hurry and find Natsu and Wendy" I said, worried about the two, and we continued running. At the end of the hallway we found a huge door. This should be where the two were kept!

Gray and I both kicked down the door with full force, completely breaking it. Natsu and Wendy were both lying on the ground, they looked unconscious. Just what had happened to them? We hurried to their side.

"Are you okay!?" I asked as I held Wendy in my arms, but she was not responding.

"Hey! Natsu! Quit sleeping, will ya!? Wake up already, you jerk!" Gray shouted, and violently shook Natsu, but there was no reaction coming from him either. What should we do?


	31. Chapter 30 - Key To Everlasting Peace

.

 **CHAPTER 30  
KEY TO EVERLASTING PEACE**

Natsu and Wendy were both unconscious, they looked unharmed, but their bodies felt weak, as if they were drained of much of their magic energy. Gray took a small bottle of pills from one of his pockets, and handed me one.

"For now, let's give 'em one of these." He said, and put the pill in Natsu's mouth. I nodded, and gave the pill I had been given to Wendy. Not a moment later, Natsu was shivering as the pill was taking effect on him. As soon as he woke up he smashed his fist into the ground in anger.

"W–We have to stop 'em!" He growled.

"Stop who?" Lucy asked with a worried look.

But all we got from him was a loud roar and a lot of fire coming out of his mouth. Whatever has happened to him must have been bad to make him this furious. After all that, he ran off, completely ignoring our presence.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted after him, but he was already gone.

Wendy was finally waking up, and coughed. "Carla… everyone…" She said with a weak voice "…They're in trouble…" The first impression we got from her was that something bad was going to happen to our guild members. Was that why Natsu had ran off just earlier? After a short pause, she continued to tell us the full story. How the royal army was planning on crashing the giant lacrima that held all of the other Fairy Tail members into the floating island on which the Exceed were living, essentially using it as a giant bomb.

Carla then explained to us how the Fairy Tail lacrima and Extalia, home of the Exceed, are both each on top of a floating island, above the royal city of Edolas.

"They're saying that the collision between Extalia's magic power and Fairy Tail's will cause the power to explode and then fuse, which will rain down everlasting magic power on the kingdom." Wendy continued, updating us on what was going on in this world. If the royal army was to succeed, then all of our guild members would be lost forever… We couldn't let this happen!

"If I understand the situation correctly, we would have to either free our guild members from the lacrima on the floating island in time, or to prevent the royal army from somehow crashing the lacrima into Extalia, correct?" I asked to make sure I was getting this all right. I still didn't know whatever these Exceed were, but from the way Wendy spoke of them, they sounded important enough. Right now, saving our guild members would be our top priority.

Wendy quietly nodded in response to my question. 

* * *

"Agh! There are two Erzas outside!" He shrieked hysterically as he spun himself around like a maniac. None of us, including myself, seemed to know how to react to his madness, so we just stood there watching him go. "What the heck!? What was that!? A showdown between two monsters!? Is this world done for!?" At that point, he finally realised we were all looking at him, not at all amused by his crazy behaviour.

"Are you my Gray, or weird Gray!?" He yelled, and pointed at Gray after a moment of staring at him.

"If you won't shut up now, you're getting a fist to the face." Gray threatened him, getting annoyed by how noisy Natsu was.

"It's pretty obvious he's the Earth Land Gray." Lucy added dryly.

"Oh! It's true! Mister Gray is here! Wendy shouted in shock.

"Huh? You only just noticed?" Carla asked her, unsure how Wendy could have not seen Gray standing here all this time. Gray suddenly felt very invisible and cried silent tears. Wendy immediately apologised to him, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

Meanwhile, I explained to Natsu how Gajeel had freed us from the lacrima in the town plaza, and had come here to rescue him and Wendy, and how Happy had left to get Gajeel to the main lacrima on the floating island.

After everyone was updated with what had happened, we finally decided to get back into the action. Since Gajeel should already be at work on the lacrima, our task would be to prevent the royal army from attempting to crash the island with the lacrima on it into Extalia.

Since the two Erzas were still fighting in the main hallway, we took a side path, slowing us down a little, but at least we wouldn't run the risk of getting crushed between a clash between two monsters.

While the others were already on their way to the dungeon exit, I noticed Wendy and Carla staying behind.

"You're not coming with us?" I asked them, wondering why they stopped.

"Oh, Roth. I need to ask Carla to do something for me…" Wendy said as she turned to me. "Please help out Natsu and the others. I'll be fine!"

I would have liked to ask her what she was planning on doing, but right now, there was no time for more talking. I nodded and quickly went after Natsu's group. 

* * *

Apparently none of us had any idea where the throne room was in this castle, and Natsu and Gray were becoming increasingly frustrated at the aimless running around we were doing. We just went into random rooms and corridors, but nothing was giving us a hint of where we were supposed to go if we wanted to find the king; this place was like a maze. Nowhere were guards to be found, had they all left the castle to fight in the city, I wondered as we continued to search.

We finally found a huge room, although it was quite differently from what we would have expected to find inside a castle. The floor was checkered with blue and white tiles, and the room itself was filled with all sorts of attractions you'd normally expect to see at a funfair or an amusement park. What was this doing in here? We cautiously entered and looked around; there didn't seem to be any people or activity of any kind.

Then, two men showed themselves before us, and they didn't look all too friendly. A knight wearing pink metal armour, and a guy wearing all white clothes, including a white cape. For some reason, he also had two colours in his hair, but this was no time to question the unimportant details. We had a job to do, and if these two were planning on hindering us, I would definitely take them out, here and now.

"I don't care who you are. Fight us, or let us go through now!" I said, right as they planned on introducing themselves. I truly did not care who these two were. Finding the king was the only thing that mattered.

"Very well, if that's how you want to play it. Take this!" The man dressed in white said, and somehow controlled the large, wooden boat, which was part of an attraction, and sent it flying in our direction. I braced for impact as I realised I wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time, but luckily Gray quickly cast a shield made of ice to protect us from the boat hitting us.

Natsu charged at the man, and punched him so hard, his landing made a small crater in the floor. Though, he seemed to take the hit pretty well. He began to cast a spell that somehow made rollercoaster cars materialise in mid-air and bumped one into Natsu, who rolled right into it, and then got caught by mechanical arms, preventing him from escaping. With Natsu's weakness being motion sickness, he'd be absolutely useless for as long as he stayed trapped on the rollercoaster; we had to help him get out of it.

As I tried to run, I felt my feet sinking into the floor. What was going on, how did this happen? Lucy and Gray also seemed to be trapped by the quicksand-like floor, and we were slowly getting pulled down by it. The pink armoured knight chuckled at the three of us helplessly stuck in the floor… He must be the one behind this. I used Lightning Step to escape, and ended up in mid-air, several metres above the ground. Before I could fall back down, I used Lightning Step once more, this time horizontally to get away from the part of the floor that seemed to be affected by the knight's spell. Gray cast grappling hooks of ice to get him out of the floor, and grabbed Lucy to get her out of there as well.

"Lucy, you try to get Natsu out of there!" Gray shouted at her, as he threw her further up. She landed right on top of one of the other rollercoaster cars flying around.

"I'll take on the guy with the weird hair!" I said to Gray. He agreed with my plan and focused his attention on the pink armoured knight. 

* * *

"'The guy with the weird hair'! I have a name, you know!" The guy shouted at me, apparently insulted by the way I described him. "I am Hughes. Remember my amazing name!"

"Whatever. We didn't come here for your names." I said to him, not at all interested in what he had to say. I Prequipped myself as I charged at him to force him to pay full attention to me. He won't be able to keep controlling those rollercoaster cars if he's too busy dodging my attacks. I had been practising my swordplay, allowing me to attack faster and with higher accuracy using my sword. Hughes clearly had trouble keeping up with controlling the rollercoaster cars and trying to keep his distance from me at the same time. Realising he wasn't going to get rid of me so easily, he crashed the rollercoaster cars into random locations inside the huge room. I hoped Natsu and Lucy were okay, but I didn't have time to check on them right now. Hughes then retreated to the entrance of a monster house, where he prepared another spell. Suddenly a group of monsters appeared from the attraction's entrance, and came marching towards me. While the monsters didn't look particularly tough by themselves, this many could prove to be problematic for me to deal with all at once.

At that point, Natsu showed up; it looked like he'd recovered from his motion sickness, and was ready to take revenge on what Hughes had done to him. Without discussing tactics with me, he charged himself at the group of monsters, mowing them down one by one with flaming fists. It looked like he wanted to take them all on himself, so I let him, and rushed back to where Gray was fighting earlier. I couldn't find Gray any longer, but I saw Lucy together with some crying child. I ran up to the two to see what was going on.

Lucy seemed to be about to take on another enemy; an old, somewhat creepy looking man. Before I could reach her, she already took out one of her keys to use. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

"Moo!" The giant cow went, then turned around with a perverted look in his eyes. "Looking sexy as always, Miss Lucy!"

"Do you know how to make a proper entrance?" Lucy said, embarrassed about her Celestial Spirit's indecent comment. She then ordered him to attack the old man standing in front of her.

"You need help taking him out?" I asked Lucy as I approached her right after Taurus began his attack.

"Well, with a little luck my Celestial Spirit should be able to do this himself." Lucy smiled, proud she was able to help fighting as well. Taurus smashed his two-handed axe into the ground with great power, splitting the floor for several metres. The old man, however, was able to get out of the way in time. He looked surprised, perhaps because magic wasn't as common in this world. As Taurus went in for another attack, the old man took a bottle from his robe, and threw the liquid inside of it at Taurus. "Flame Liquid!" and the liquid that was all over Taurus's body turned into flames. Lucy was forced to retreat him from battle.

I was about to get into action, but Lucy gestured me to wait, and she pulled another key from her pouch. "Open, Gate of the Maiden!" Virgo!" A pink haired girl wearing a maid costume appeared from under the ground where the old man was standing and launched him into the air. "Spica Hole!" She then hit him from above, smashing him into a seemingly bottomless hole in the ground that her spell had created.

"Yes!" Lucy cheered. 

* * *

With this guy out of the way, I wondered how Natsu and Gray were doing against their opponents. I turned around to look for either of them, but the ground suddenly started to shake violently. A giant tentacle shot out from the hole the old man had been smashed into, and grabbed the little girl who had been lying on the ground behind Lucy all this time. An enormous octopus monster emerged from the hole, and laughed at us. "Octopus Liquid!"

"Huh?" Before we could even comprehend what was happening, it already attacked us with one of its tentacles. I managed to jump away just in time; Virgo picked up Lucy to help her get out of the way of the arm slamming into the ground. This was looking bad, though we had no other choice but to fight it. Virgo jumped high up while still holding Lucy in her arms, but they got hit by one of the monster's other tentacles, and Lucy ended up somewhere on top of a ball that was part of one of the park's attractions. It seemed Virgo threw something at Lucy, though from here it was hard to see what it was. She then disappeared, and Lucy activated the item she'd been given.

A long whip made of blue and yellow light appeared from it, and she used it right away to attack the monster's face. It seemed to have little effect, though, and she got hit by a tentacle again, smashing her into a decorative castle's tower this time.

"Lucy, here!" I shouted at her, hoping she could hear me. Not seconds later she got up, and aimed the whip at me. I grabbed the whip with my free hand as it came to me, and she then waved the whip to swing me upwards. I let go of her whip and managed to land on one of the monster's huge tentacles. Lucy immediately followed after me, wrapping her weapon around another tentacle to swing herself back onto the monster as well. Lucy used her whip effectively to dodge more tentacle attacks while I cast Lightning Step to get out of the way of hits aimed at me. The octopus began having more and more trouble attacking us as its tentacles got tied up with each other and after several more attempts of getting a hit in on us, it barely wasn't able to move at all anymore. At this point, Natsu appeared from behind the monster, it looked like his finisher attack aimed at Hughes was going to strike the monster at the same time as well. An explosion of fire followed, as Natsu's flaming punch hit both enemies at once. Those two wouldn't get up again any time soon. The child was released from the grip of the monster's tentacle and was on the ground, looking in awe at the three of us having defeated such a powerful opponent. 

* * *

"Who is she, anyway?" I asked Lucy. "I saw you defending her earlier. Is she on our side?"

"I don't actually know. Hey, are you okay?" Lucy answered, and turned to the young girl.

"Th–This key is what he wanted… it's a key to a device that will kill all your friends. She said, and held up the large key she had been holding with her all this time.

"Wait, you mean the thing that'll crash the lacrima into Extalia!?" Lucy asked. "Then what were you doing running around the castle with it?"

"I'd rather have everlasting peace than everlasting power…" The young girl answered as she got on her knees before us. "So… please. Please help me destroy it!"

"You're saying destroying it is all we have to do is to stop them from smashing that lacrima?" I asked to make sure we were getting this right.

"All right! Leave it to me!" Natsu said hastily and was about to take the key from the girl's hand when something came in between and replaced the key with a pink frog in his hands.

"Wha–!?"

"You know better than to give something this important to the enemy, Coco!" The pink armoured knight gloated as he glided away off the ground at high speed with the key in his hand. "I must return it to His Majesty!"

"He took it!" Natsu yelled in frustration.

"Give it back!"

Right then, Gray appeared riding a motorbike. "No need to worry, guys! This guy's all mine" Gray shouted as he went after the knight in pink. While we would be a lot slower on foot, it was our only option. But as we tried to go after the two, the ground beneath our feet turned liquid again, as it had done earlier. And it seemed to affect a much larger area this time. I used Lightning Step, having to use several casts to get myself out of it. Natsu struggled a lot more, but luckily Lucy was able to help. Using her whip she helped to get Natsu and Coco away from the liquid floor.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll get this girl out of here!" Lucy shouted at Natsu and me, and ran the other way. We both agreed to that plan; it would be too dangerous for Coco to stay around.


	32. Chapter 31 - Dragon Chain Cannon

.

 **CHAPTER 31  
DRAGON CHAIN CANNON**

We followed the hallway in which the pink armoured knight and Gray disappeared into, and finally spotted the two after some minutes of running. It looked like Gray had managed to defeat the knight during that time, having broken all the armour he had on him.

"Where's the key!? Natsu yelled angrily as he grabbed the armourless, unconscious knight by his shoulders and shook him. "Hand it over!"

"Hey, now. Can't you see what I'm holding?" Gray said to him while holding an exact replica of the key made of ice. "Anyway, things are okay."

"Since this guy went into this direction with they key, we can assume the device is up ahead." I said.

Gray nodded. "Right. It's the only hint we got about the direction of where we need to be. There is only one problem, though."

"Huh?"

"There's no way to get inside the chamber where they're keeping it." Gray told us.

"We can just barge through it, now that we can use magic and all!" Natsu argued, making it sound as if that's all there was to the problem.

"It ain't that easy. The gate's apparently made of an anti-magic lacrima or something. In other words, magic won't work on it." Gray continued to explain patiently.

"We can still try!" Natsu said, obviously not wanting to bother with the details.

"It's better if we make a plan first." I said, not agreeing with Natsu's reckless idea. While getting inside the chamber was one of the main objectives, without the key they wouldn't be able to activate the device anyway. I just hoped they wouldn't have a back-up key lying around somewhere. 

* * *

While discussing our next course of action, none of us had noticed Erza approaching us until she was only a few metres away from us. And unfortunately for us, it wasn't the Erza we were hoping to see; this was the Edolas version of her standing right before us. She looked somewhat wounded, but I doubted we'd be able to take her on if she would attack us now. While none of us was exactly hurt very much from our fights earlier, we'd used up a good amount of magic. We all prepared for the worst and took on combat stances against her.

"Hold on, it's me. The Erza you know." She said with a friendly voice. We all loosened up a little at her words.

"I know exactly of a way to get us inside that chamber with the device, but I'll need all your guys' help." She told us, and then proceeded to tell us her plan. She, disguised as the Edolas Erza would take us as prisoners inside and make Gray form the key to activate the device with. It would then be up to Gray to alter the direction of the cannon so it would hit the giant lacrima instead. It was a risky plan, but we had to go with it if we wanted to save our guild members.

Erza put rope around our arms and body, making it impossible for us to move at all, and would hopefully look convincing enough for the soldiers to think we were captured. She'd tied the rope very tightly, and it was actually hurting, but I kept quiet about it. Natsu and Gray didn't seem very comfortable with it either. She then dragged us over the floor behind her as she made her way to the gate of the chamber. She told the guards about the key that had been destroyed, and how she needed us to make a new key. The guards didn't even question her, and immediately opened the gate for her. The chamber was a huge room with a large device stationed in the back; before it stood the king, accompanied by a bunch of soldiers guarding him. They were all watching us as Erza entered. Erza threw us down onto the floor next to her feet.

"Erza. Is it true you've brought the key?" The king asked her.

"It seems it was destroyed, but fear not." She replied, and pointed her sword at Gray. "This one can make the key." She then said.

"Who is he?" They king asked, sceptical about Erza's words.

"An Earth Land wizard, sir. He is one of the Dragon Slayer's comrades." Erza answered calmly.

"Free him! And have him activate the Dragon Chain Cannon at once." The king then ordered her.

Erza followed the king's orders and carefully sliced the rope around Gray with a single slash of her sword without hurting him. "Stand, ice wizard." She ordered him, and then held up Natsu and me, and placed the blade of her sword at our throats. I wasn't comfortable with this at all, but I was unable to do anything in my current state. I simply had to trust Erza knew what she was doing.

Gray slowly got up. He knew what he had to do now. He walked up to the control panel of the device that had a large keyhole in it, specifically made for the key we had destroyed just earlier. Gray stood still, observing the device in front of him. Why was he not doing anything? I hoped he would hurry up a little so we could soon move over to the next part of our plan, which would involve me being freed. For now, all I could do is wait and watch while having the edge of Erza's sword only millimetres away from my throat.

"Hurry up." Erza pushed him to activate the device.

Gray glanced back at us for a moment; I could see uncertainty in his eyes. He then turned to the device again and finally started to cast magic. A giant key of ice appeared out of thin air, floating above the palm of his hand. I heard the soldiers around us whispering to each other with uneasy looks in their eyes. They apparently weren't used to seeing magic used freely like this in their world. Even the king appeared somewhat surprised by how easy Gray had brought forth the key from nothing.

Gray inserted the key in the hole and turned it, activating the device. A sound could be heard from inside the device, followed up by a golden light coming from the symbols that were imprinted on the surface of it. Gray took a few steps back and watched. How was he supposed to take aim with this thing?

Bright lights shot from the eyes of the statues next to the machine, and it seemed the device was fully powered now and getting in position to fire. The ground began to shake. The king laughed maniacally as he watched the entire machine light up with the magic of the Dragon Slayers. 

* * *

"Now's our time…" Erza whispered at Natsu and me, and then slashed the ropes, releasing us both. Natsu immediately went for the nearest group of soldiers, using a powerful fire punch attack. I fired off several Lightning Strikes at the soldiers on our other side. Meanwhile, Erza took advantage of the chaos created by the two of us and grabbed the king, holding him as a hostage.

"The launch is off!" She shouted at the soldiers around us.

"Erza! You traitor…!" The king growled in anger, but he was in no position to talk back. Erza could easily kill him right now if she wanted to. Erza Requipped herself with her signature armour, to show the king and the soldiers that she wasn't the Erza they thought she'd been all this time.

"I am Erza Scarlet! An Earth Land wizard!" She spoke loudly in case there was still confusion about her true identity.

"They actually fell for it! This was plan D! D for 'deception'!" Natsu yelled cheerfully.

"Aim the Dragon Chain Cannon at the lacrima!" Erza then ordered the soldiers.

"Don't listen to her! Fire it now! The king said right after her before the soldiers were able to take action. There was confusion amongst them. Should they listen to their king, or to the one who was holding their king hostage?

"Scarlet!" An angry voice sounded from above us. At that moment, the other Erza appeared and made an attack right at our Erza. She needed both hands to block the other Erza's forceful attack, giving the king a chance to get away from her.

"Aim at the original target and fire!" He shouted.

"Not good." Gray muttered, but there was little we could do at this point. The cannon was literally about to fire right now, and we had an angry Erza to deal with.

"Crash it into Extalia!" The king ordered, confirming the launch was successful and had been attached to the floating island with the lacrima on it.

"Stop!" Natsu yelled in desperation. But at this point I wasn't sure if there was anything we could do to prevent this disaster from happening. Maybe if we could somehow sever the connection between the cannon and the island before it would get too much momentum, but we'd have to find a way to get up there first. This wasn't looking good at all. 

* * *

Suddenly, the walls in one side of the chamber got broken down, smashed by a huge winged creature that entered the room. The soldiers looked afraid and backed off. I wasn't sure what kind of monster it was, but it looked somewhat fearsome.

"Hey, you guys!" Lucy's voice could be heard from where the monster was standing, but I couldn't see her anywhere. "Get on its back!"

"Lucy!? You got turned into this?" Natsu shouted in bewilderment.

"Quit blabbing and just get on!" Lucy showed up from behind the monster's head.

All of us quickly jumped on without hesitating, as we realised this could be our only chance to still prevent the destruction of the lacrima and Extalia. The monster lifted itself from the ground and took off as soon as we all got on.

"How does this girl have a Legion!?" The king asked furiously.

"It's because it's mine!" Coco said, showing herself sitting next to Lucy.

"Coco!" The king shouted, even angrier this time.

Edolas Erza and the king's soldiers were unable to get after us as we flew away on the back on this creature.


	33. Chapter 32 - Push For Victory

.

 **CHAPTER 32  
PUSH FOR VICTORY**

The island holding the lacrima was already flying at high speed, even cutting the chain attached to it wouldn't work at this point. Gajeel must still be up there, I thought and wondered why he hadn't been able to break the lacrima during all that time… Had they defences stationed on the island to guard the lacrima? The Legion flew at full speed towards the floating island, but it might already be too late. It butted its head against the front of the island with all its power in an attempt to stop it, but despite the creature's size and strength, the island was still moving towards the Exceed kingdom at high speed; it had gained too much momentum.

"It's no good! It's not gonna stop!" Gray shouted.

"Let's unleash our magic on it too!" Erza said. It was the only thing we could try to stop it.

Natsu ran over the back of the Legion, up to the island and placed both his hands against it. The rest of us followed after him; we had to try to push it back, or at the very least slow it down enough to prevent the destruction of the lacrima and Extalia. I channelled magic to my hands to give myself more power. Large circles of magic formed around my arms and between my hands and the rock; sparks of electricity were coming from my body. I looked beside me and saw Natsu and Gray using their own magic in similar ways. Natsu looked more determined than I'd ever seen him before. 

* * *

"We're still gonna collide!"

"Endure it!"

The island with the lacrima was now only metres away from Extalia and it was still advancing; we weren't going to be able to stop it. Right as the island made impact with Extalia, Natsu increased its power even further. There was an explosion caused by the collision between the two islands, but with our combined powers we had been able to slow it down enough to prevent the complete destruction of either of them. The lacrima holding our guild members was still in tact, and so was the Exceed kingdom. But it wasn't over yet. The island was still being powered by the Dragon Chain Cannon.

Gajeel appeared right next to me, and helped pushing against the island.

"Gajeel!" I shouted, surprised, but also glad to see him with us again.

"What are you doing here!? Get back there and smash that lacrima!" Erza yelled at him, not as happy to see Gajeel here, seeing how he'd been tasked with freeing our guild members.

"That black cat's in the way!" Gajeel complained, even though neither of us had any idea what he meant with 'that black cat'.

"It'd take too long now, anyways!" Gray said. He was right; at this point the best we could do is try pushing this rock with all our might. We had managed to almost stop it from advancing any further, but it was taking all our strength to do so. We wouldn't be able to keep this up forever, though… we needed more power in order to push it back.

"It's about to squish us!" Lucy said desperately. The island was indeed still getting closer, and the space between it and Extalia slowly became smaller with us in between there. If we were to let it go now, we'd all die here.

"Hold your ground!" Erza said, not wanting us to give up. "We must stop it at all costs!" I still had more magic power to use, and I continued to channel it to my arms and hands.

Carla appeared from behind, and helped pushing too. Then another Exceed appeared. I looked over my shoulder behind me and saw the entire sky lit up by moving lights coming from the Exceed kingdom. Were all of these flying cats like Happy and Carla, I wondered. I had no idea there were so many of them in this world… so, they must be the ones called Exceed. Why was I getting distracted with these thoughts now? It was loosening my concentration on pushing the island back. I went back to fully focusing on channelling magic again. More and more Exceed joined in on pushing back the island. They all had the same determined looks on their faces; they didn't want their kingdom to disappear.

"Give it your all, guys!"

"Push it!"

"We can do it!"

"This won't be the end of us!"

"We refuse to give up!"

"We will stop it!"

"Aye, sir!" 

* * *

If we all used all of our strength now we might be able to make it. I reached into all of my reserves, sending it all to my hands. There was no way we were going to let Fairy Tail be ended by some stupid floating rock, nor would we let the homeland of the Exceed be destroyed by it! Everyone using their full power at once was creating a maelstrom of light and energy created at the side of the island where we were all pushing, eventually creating an explosion of blinding light.

The island with the lacrima on it bounced backwards, away from Extalia… was it finally over? Another flash of light appeared, enveloping the entire island. We stood there, watching it, unsure about what was going to happen. Again, an explosion happened, scattering the winged Exceed into the sky around it. When the light vanished I found myself being held high above the ground. An Exceed was holding me from behind. It looked like the others were picked up by Exceed as well.

When I looked at the island we had been pushing I saw it had a huge crater in the centre of it where the lacrima had been before. What happened to it? Had we failed? The island, or at least what was left of it, lit up again, together with the Dragon Chain Cannon attached to it, and began to disintegrate.

"Don't worry. It returned back to Earth Land." A voice said from behind.

I turned around and saw a mysterious looking man riding one of those Legion creatures. I didn't recognise him, but the others apparently did as they called him by his name: Mystogan. He then explained how it had taken him a while to search for an Anima vestige large enough to restore everything back to normal. Thanks to our efforts we had been able to prevent destruction long enough to give him the time needed to send back the lacrima back to Earth Land.

A loud cheering from us Fairy Tail members and all Exceed followed. What had seemed like an impossible situation, had been dealt with through everyone's combined strength and willpower. I was almost completely drained of my magic power, and my arms felt weak after all that. 

* * *

Everyone was still cheering, when suddenly a laser beam went right through the body of a large Exceed who was flying amongst the others. We all looked in shock at where the laser had come from to see the royal army riding Legions coming straight at us, with Edolas Erza leading the charge.

"We're not done yet! Destroy every last one of them! She shouted as she came at us.

Our Erza prepared herself for another fight against her other version, but Mystogan gestured her to wait and put himself at the front of everyone.

"You would dare point your blade at me, the royal prince of Edolas, Erza Knightwalker?" He spoke to the Edolas Erza, whose name was apparently Knightwalker in this world.

"Prince, you say?" The voice of the king could be heard and laughed at Mystogan's words. "I do not consider you a son at all!"

How were we able to hear the king speak, yet he wasn't anywhere to be seen? It certainly wasn't telepathy he was using.

"You have some nerve, running off for seven years and then suddenly waltzing right back!" The king continued his speech aimed at Mystogan. "I am well aware that you were in Earth Land, sealing all the Animas. You are a traitor! And as such, you must be punished for your actions!"

"Hey! Show yourself!" Natsu shouted, frustrated by the fact the king wasn't showing himself.

"Your Anima plan has failed. You have no reason to fight anymore." Mystogan tried to argue with the king in an attempt to resolve this situation peacefully.

"Reason!? A reason to fight, you say!?" The king sounded furious. A green light in the centre of an old, large circle shaped structure on the ground below us became visible; a strange sound was coming from its direction. Is it coming from underground, I wondered. A tremendous source of magic was building up; we could all sense it now. It was coming from where the green light was at.

"This is not a fight! This is retribution! It's the total extermination of all who oppose the king!" The king announced, as a large, metal cocoon-like object rose from the ground. "If you insist on standing in my way, I will destroy you, regardless of who you are!" He sounded like he was out of his mind. "Not a trace of you will remain!"

The object began to emit light, and then burst open, transforming itself into something that resembled a dragon, but made completely of metal.

"A king's power is absolute!" The air was vibrating as he spoke those words.


	34. Chapter 33 - Defeat The King

.

 **CHAPTER 33  
DEFEAT THE KING**

"Dorma Anim… It means 'Dragon Knight' in the language here." Mystogan said as he looked at the metal dragon below on the ground. "It is enhanced dragon armour."

"It's made of anti-magic lacrima, called Wizard Canceller. It nullifies all external magic cast at it." Coco explained to us. "The king is controlling the Dorma Anim from inside it."

"Soldiers of mine! Seize the Exceed!" The king ordered. Without hesitation the soldiers listened to his command and made their charge. The shots from their cannons apparently turned the Exceed into lacrimas.

"After them!" Edolas Erza ordered the soldiers as the Exceed began to scatter and flee from the cannon fire. The Exceed holding me was panicking as well, but knew he couldn't just let me fall to my doom from this height; he flew as fast as he could while carrying me.

The Dorma Anim aimed its mouth cannon at us and fired a huge laser beam into the sky. Mystogan saw what was happening and made it just in time to cast a complex, multi-layered spell to reflect the laser back at the dragon. There was a huge explosion as it made an impact, but it seemed to have had little effect on the armour of the metal dragon.

"Yes! This is the power of the Wizard Canceller!" The king laughed, and then launched another laser from its cannon, this time striking Mystogan and the Legion he was standing on. I saw him fall down, though there was nothing I could do but hope he'd survive the fall.

Meanwhile, we were trying to keep the soldiers at bay to give the Exceed a chance to escape, but there were too many of them, and now that the king was firing massive laser beams at us, it only made it more difficult. One of the Dorma Anim's lasers went straight past me; I could feel the heat. The Exceed carrying me was on the brink of exhaustion and lowered altitude. I had to get off to give it a chance to get away safely. While I was still fairly high above the ground, I released myself and jumped down. I landed inside the circular structure, not too far away from the Dorma Anim. This was possibly the worst place I could be right now, but it's not like I had much of a choice in the matter. 

* * *

The king turned to me, his metal dragon towering high above me, casting a huge shadow over me.

While I felt a lot of my magic had regenerated already, I had trouble focusing on controlling it… was I afraid? I had never faced such an enemy this size before, and even if I could bring myself to fight it, what would I even be able to do against it while it was completely covered by anti-magic lacrimas?

It seemed the king had decided I was going to be the next target for the Dorma Anim's laser beam as the cannon in the machine's mouth was glowing again. I knew I had to get away, but my body was completely frozen up. A split second before the cannon fired, there was a fiery explosion on the back of the head of the Dorma Anim, causing the laser beam to miss me as its target. Natsu showed up, standing on top of the dragon's head, surrounded by the flames caused by his attack. Not a moment later, an explosion struck the metal dragon again, this time it had been Gajeel who attacked. Before the king could figure out what was happening, there was a third explosion.

"Oi, wake up, you!" Gajeel said as he landed next to me. I had been in a daze, crushed by the feeling of intimidation of facing an enemy this big and powerful. Gajeel's words snapped me out of my stun, my body loosened again.

"Roth! Are you okay?" Wendy asked, sounding worried.

"Huh? When did you come back?" I asked her. A moment of silence followed. Had I said something wrong?

"I was there pushing the rock along with you and the others…" Wendy said with a shadow covering her eyes.

"Really? Must've missed you, since you're so small, and… hah… hah…" I laughed awkwardly, knowing full well I wasn't going to be able to apologise myself out of this. But really, it wasn't my fault I hadn't seen her at all back there. Wendy underwent the same feeling of invisibility she'd made Gray feel in the castle dungeons earlier.

"Enough! How did you attack me!? The Dorma Anim should be impervious to magic!" The king interrupted our little conversation, and he didn't seem too happy about the fact his metal dragon had been hit by magic attacks from the Dragon Slayers.

"It seems only Dragon Slayer magic is going to be effective against this thing." Gajeel said, ignoring the king.

"Right. Then, that's exactly what we'll be using to take it down!" Natsu smirked, and slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. "I'm all fired up now!"

"Roth. Please stay back and let us handle this." Wendy said to me. I looked back at her and could see strong determination in her eyes. She had grown so much already in such a short period of time. I thought back to our first few team jobs, in which she would stay behind Gajeel and me when we were forced to fight. She had always seemed reluctant into joining in herself… this same Wendy was now telling me stay behind her. 

* * *

I shook my head, and then said "Listen. I'm not going to sit back and let you and the others do all the work. We, the Thunder Dragons, fight together as one!" I Prequipped myself with my armour and weapon. Even if this Dorma Anim was immune to magic, it must have some kind of weak spot somewhere.

"O swift winds that speed through the heavens! Vernier!" Wendy cast her support magic on the three of us. This was Natsu's first time experiencing the boost Wendy was able to provide to us; he looked in surprise at his feet as they lit up from the light of a magic circle beneath them.

Gajeel and I already knew of its effects, but it still amazed me just how much of a difference it could make in tough combat situations. It seemed Wendy had been working on improving her spellcasting, as this time the boost was more effective than ever. Not only had our movement speed increased, we were able to glide through the air as if we were unaffected by gravity itself.

The three of us split up, and circled around the Dorma Anim. With it not being able to keep up with our speed it was completely open to all of our attacks. I tried to shoot a Lightning Shock at it, but it simply bounced off the metal plates covering its entire body. That wasn't going to work. I then closed in and readied my sword for a slashing attack aimed at its legs, but to no avail; even my sword was rejected by the Wizard Cancellers. I tried several more attacks, but none of them seemed to have any effect whatsoever. Meanwhile Natsu and Gajeel's attacks did actually manage to hit, but the armour protecting the dragon was so thick, their attacks didn't do all too much damage.

"The stalwart might to cleave the heavens! Arms!" Another support spell by Wendy directed at the three of us. Physically, I felt stronger than I'd ever before, multiplying my normal strength level several times thanks to the effect of Wendy's enchantment. Regardless, I had little hope it would make a difference. All of my attacks were magic based, even the sword I was wielding was entirely made of magic power. I had thought I could perhaps be able to find a weak spot, or maybe still damage it somehow, but having experienced the effect of these anti-magic lacrimas, I wasn't so sure anymore. I still tried a few attacks, but there was no difference from before. Unless the effect from the lacrimas could somehow be circumvented or disabled, I would be useless sticking around this close to the Dorma Anim for now.

Natsu's and Gajeel's attacks were hitting much harder now, but the king had realised it was Wendy who was powering them up. He released a barrage of light bombs at her direction. If that's what he was planning on doing, I might be able to make myself still useful in this battle.

"New technique! Photon Barrier!" I shouted, as I held both arms stretched out before me. A large square field of electric particles formed in the air between Wendy and the bombs. Any bombs that would come into contact with the particles would instantly explode. It was a variation of my shield technique I had been developing in the past few weeks. Since I was part of a team now, I figured it might be useful to teach myself some defensive techniques to protect my teammates with. As the cluster of bombs entered the electric field, a chain explosion was triggered, completely wiping all of the bombs at once.

However, two different projectiles I had not seen until now were approaching Wendy at high speed. I wouldn't be able to make it to her in time from where I was standing… She, too, saw the two missiles closing in on her; she stepped back, but stumbled over a rock and fell onto the ground. At that moment, Natsu jumped in front of her, and took the powerful explosion of the two missiles going off at their location. Would they be okay after a hit like that!? 

* * *

The king laughed maniacally at the two being struck by the explosion, and stopped to attack to watch the fire and smoke clear. Something strange was going on I noticed; the fire was being sucked away somehow. As the smoke cleared, it revealed Natsu absorbing the last of the flames through his mouth. Was this part of his Dragon Slayer abilities? Wendy, on the ground behind him, looked just fine.

"He ate the flames from my missiles!?" The king couldn't believe what just happened. He then looked behind him, only to see Gajeel chewing on the tail of the Dorma Anim. "Is he insane!? Why is he eating the Dorma Anim's tail!?"

"Now that I've eaten, I feel reenergised!" The two Dragon Slayer said in unison, and looked like they were ready for another round against the king's metal dragon.

Before they could get back into the action, however, the Dorma Anim began to gather energy coming from all around the arena and beyond. I could feel large waves of magic flowing through the air towards it; the Dorma Anim was absorbing it, and formed a dark purple aura surrounding it. It was shedding some of its outer metal plates, and transformed some parts of its body. It gained a different, lighter form that seemed more built for dishing out damage rather than taking hits.

"Witness the power of Dorma Anim: Black Heaven!" A loud sound came from the metal dragon, piercing our ears. "Prepare yourself!" It came charging right at us, aiming its new arm that was now more like the point of a lance. We had barely any time to get away from its attack, it certainly was much faster than one would expect from something its size. It pierced the ground with such force that the shockwave created by it still knocked us back. Natsu immediately counterattacked with a fiery punch, but it seemed to do no damage at all. The metal dragon had shrugged off Natsu's attack as if it was nothing… how could it have become this much stronger?

"Can you feel it? This absolute magic power!" The king was confident of his victory over us at this point, and charged one of the Dorma Anim's arms with powerful energy. "Know fear, dragon wizards!"

It slammed the ground with its charged arm, causing an eruption of light and energy in the entire area, striking us all with its full power. There was no way to defend against it; we were taking the full hit from it.

That last attack seriously hurt, but I had to get back up on my feet. This battle was still far from over. The others were getting up as well, despite hurting badly. Natsu and Gajeel already went back into battle, they both still seemed to have a lot of energy in them. I knew there was little I could do directly against the Dorma Anim, but I might be able to help in other ways. There was another technique I'd been practising on with the help of Wendy, although this would be my first time trying it out in real combat.

"Tide of the arcane spirits that flow through the heavens!" As I finished the spell's incantation, thankful that I remembered it correctly, I felt a surge of magic energy going through my body. I clasped my hands together, and closed my eyes, to help focus myself. I searched for the flow of magic of my friends around me. I could feel Wendy's magic close to me, Natsu and Gajeel were further away, and both of them were moving swiftly, making it hard for me to lock onto them. As soon as they stopped moving for a moment, I was able to connect with their flow of magic.

"Invoke!" I felt the energy I'd summoned inside of me leaving my body, flowing towards the others. As more energy transferred, I felt my focus weakening, especially towards Natsu and Gajeel who were in motion again. In an instant the connection between me and my targets broke, returning the leftover energy to back to myself and I opened my eyes again. No, I was still unable to successfully cast it.

I saw Wendy looking at me, she wanted to say something, but we both realised this wasn't the time for talk. I'd have to continue practising that spell with her later, if… no, when we get back. Despite not being able to successfully complete my enchantment spell, it still appeared to have made some difference. The three Dragon Slayers seemed to feel somewhat reenergised by the partial surge of magic energy they received from me. The king was trying to keep Natsu and Gajeel from hitting the Dorma Anim, but combined with Wendy's Vernier enchantment on them, they made it difficult for him to hit him. However, their attacks still weren't doing enough damage. Wasn't there anything we could do to defeat it? 

* * *

"Salamander! We gotta roar!" Gajeel suggested as he took a step back from the fight, realising their current strategy wasn't going to work out. "Kid, you too!" He said to Wendy.

Natsu and Wendy both agreed to Gajeel's plan. It wasn't like we had anything better to use at this moment, and even though I had given them some of my magic energy, they were rapidly burning through their reserves. We had to end this fight before we'd run out of magic completely. All three of them lined up, standing next to each other, readying their Dragon Slayer roar attacks.

"Fire Dragon…"

"Iron Dragon…"

"Sky Dragon…"

"...Roar!" Their blasts combined into one huge beam of magic. There was a big explosion at the Dorma Anim's location. Did we get it? A thick cloud of dust and sand got whipped up by the impact of the attack… we waited for it to clear up to see if the combined attack had actually managed to finish off the king's metal dragon. Individually, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy were all strong wizards, but their damage output was frighteningly powerful when they combined their magic. It would be almost impossible it would have survived a blast like this, I thought.

"No! Up there!" Natsu shouted, and pointed upward. We all looked up; it was hard to see from here, but there was indeed something high up in the sky. Could it be that Dorma Anim had jumped up during the moment of impact so fast that we didn't see it?

It came down at high speed and shot out hundreds of light bombs at the ground as it did. I put up another Photon Barrier, but the bombs were spread out too much over an area too large to hold back all of them. The impact of those that hit us still hurt badly and further drained us of our energy. Too many bombs had come through my Photon Barrier and struck us; we were all down on the ground, with barely any magic power left. We couldn't let this be the end… 

* * *

"You may be powerful wizards, but I can imagine it takes time for you to recover the magic power you've exhausted. If you wish to surrender, this is your chance." The king had already decided he'd won this fight. No way I could accept an end like this. I lifted my head from the ground and looked at the others… Gajeel and Wendy both were down, not even moving at all. Natsu was slowly getting up, his entire body trembling.

"Don't give up!" He said as he got up on his feet. "Gimme your best shot! I'm standing right here!" He roared at the king.

"Fine! You runts are obstinate to the very end, I see!" The king said as he took up Natsu's challenge, and lifted one of the Dorma Anim's foot, preparing to stomp right where Natsu was standing. The metal foot came down on Natsu with tremendous force, but he was somehow able to prevent it from crushing him. How could he still have this much power left in him when he was completely drained of magic?

"If I run out of power today, then I'll just borrow some from tomorrow!" With those words, he fought back against the giant foot trying to crush him, and somehow managed to muster enough power to push it back up, causing the entire Dorma Anim to lose balance and make it fall on its back. However, it quickly got back up on its feet again, not giving us a chance to take advantage of the situation.

"Know your place, filth!" The Dorma Anim shot energy at where Natsu was standing, and he got launched high into the air. "I am the king of Edolas, bow down before me!"

It seemed Natsu's words had inspired the others, including myself. We couldn't afford to lose this fight, we had to do everything we could to win this, even if it meant taking from tomorrow's power, as Natsu had put it. Gajeel jumped up and then crashed himself onto the metal dragon's foot, drilling several of his metal clubs right through them, to pin it down to the ground. It wouldn't be able to take to the sky anymore like this. The king tried to move the Dorma Anim's feet, but Gajeel wouldn't loosen its grip. It would be up to Natsu and Wendy to finish this now.

"Wendy, roar at me with everything you got!" He shouted at her. It took a moment for her to understand what Natsu had meant by that. "Just do it! Hurry!" He ordered her to. Wendy looked hurt, but she still managed to get up and charge another magic attack.

The king was getting an idea of what they were planning on doing. I could see him preparing to block Natsu and Wendy's combination attack using the shield on his arm. Even though I wouldn't be able to directly damage the Dorma Anim, there was, however, one thing I could still do. It wasn't anything I had trained for before, but I didn't think it would be too difficult to pull off. I lifted my hand that held my sword and aimed it directly at the Dorma Anim's head.

"Lightning Flare!" I shot a small bomb of concentrated lightning from the blade of my sword that then exploded into a flash of blinding light right before coming into contact with the Dorma Anim's anti-magic armour. Not only was the king unable to move the Dorma Anim's feet, he was unable to see where Natsu and Wendy's attack would be coming from now as well.

Right after my use of Lightning Flare, Wendy had charged up her Sky Dragon Roar, and directed it at Natsu. He was using the rotation caused by her breath attack as a way to launch himself at the defenceless Dorma Anim with immense speed. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" With the power of both fire and sky dragon, he struck through the chest of the Dorma Anim, piercing straight through it and taking the king out of it at the same time. A moment after it was penetrated by Natsu's attack, the Dorma Anim exploded. It looked like we had finally done it.

The king, now without his giant metal dragon, surrendered without a fight. Despite being completely exhausted from the fight, we all laughed and cheered.


	35. Chapter 34 - Returning Home

.

 **CHAPTER 34  
RETURNING HOME**

Our cheering was quickly interrupted by the ground shaking.

"Don't tell me it's enemy reinforcements?" Gajeel said warily, and scanned the surroundings.

"N–No! Look!" Wendy said as she looked up. The islands that had been floating in the sky in this world were now falling down, causing great destruction as they crashed onto the main surface. Large, visible streams of magic began to leak from the surface of the planet and flow into the sky.

"I think we should head back to the royal city!" Wendy suggested. "I'm worried about the citizens; we might be able to help somehow!"

"Yeah, and this world's me might know something, too…" Gajeel said and agreed with Wendy's suggestion to head back. And so, we began to run back to the royal city, which was quite a distance away from where we were.

While running I stumbled and fell to the ground. I tried to get up, but my body refused to. Had I been this exhausted with only noticing it just now? I had zero energy left in me.

"Roth! You okay?" Natsu turned around and asked me.

"I… don't think I can continue." I replied weakly.

"I'll carry you." Gajeel said without even asking and already came up to me, but I shook my head to let him know it wasn't needed.

"We're not leaving you here, Roth." Wendy said.

"Don't worry about me... I'll get there as soon as I can." I tried to tell them I would be okay. "The citizens need Fairy Tail's help. Please go on without me."

After hesitating for a moment, they finally continued, leaving me behind as I had asked from them. I couldn't believe they still had this much energy in them. Was it because they were Dragon Slayers? My thoughts went blank after a while, and I ended up falling asleep on the ground. 

* * *

I woke up some time later, unsure about how much time had passed since I'd lost consciousness. I found myself in a relatively small room, lying in one of two beds. It seemed another person was asleep in the other bed; I could hear his or her slow breathing. The only light came from a lit candle on a table positioned between the two beds. I moved the curtains in front of the window I was next to away a little and peeked outside. It was still dark outside and the same streams of magic from earlier were still going up to the sky, their yellow light casting an eerie glow onto the buildings in the city. It seemed the house I was in was located along one of the smaller streets somewhere in the royal city as I could see the castle from quite a distance from here.

Why was I here, I wondered. I had fallen asleep before reaching the city… someone must have carried me all the way here. I still felt weak and tired, but I forced myself to get out of the bed. I had recovered enough energy to make it back to wherever the rest of the guild members would be and maybe be able to help them out. The rest of the house was completely dark, but luckily there was enough light coming in from the windows to help me find my way out without stumbling over things.

There were people out on the streets, all of them talking and looking up at the sky at where the streams of magic were going. I could hear fear and uncertainty in people's voices; nobody seemed to know what exactly was happening. As I closed the door behind me and stepped outside, a middle-aged couple standing nearby the house turned around and looked at me. Both their faces looked vaguely familiar, although I could not recall what or where from.

"Ah, you're awake already?" The woman asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"I found you lying unconscious at the roadside. You looked weakened and wounded, so I took you to our house." The man explained to me.

"Th–Thank you." I said softly, not sure what else to say to them. The two were still looking at me in the eyes, but I somehow did not feel uncomfortable by their gaze.

"You're not from around here, are you?" The woman asked after a short pause.

I simply nodded. There would be no point in explaining them where I came from.

"I… I need to leave. My friends are waiting for me." I then said to break the silence. I didn't know who these two were, even though I had a strange feeling inside me that I should. From the looks in their eyes I had the idea they had a similar kind of feeling. Part of me wanted to stay and talk with them, but it would probably be for the best if I didn't. Besides, I had promised Gajeel and Wendy to get back to them as soon as I could. 

* * *

The couple nodded back and waved at me as I took my leave. What a strange, uneasy conversation... I tried to focus my thoughts onto other things, such as where the other Fairy Tail members could possibly be, but the faces of that couple and my short conversation with them kept coming back to me. I wandered aimlessly through the streets of the royal city, ignoring everything around me. Where was I even going? My legs began to feel tired again; I hadn't rested nearly enough to be out here I realised now. The exhaustion I'd built up from my fight against the king and everything that happened before that was still affecting me. I went into a small alley, away from the people and the noise, and sat down on the ground to rest.

I wondered what Gajeel, Wendy and the others were doing right now. Would they expect I'd have returned to them by now? I made them a promise I couldn't even keep, how stupid of me. Yet it was the only way I could keep them from slowing them down, taking me with them when they had more important things to do.

My thinking was suddenly interrupted when my whole body began to levitate. What was happening now? I slightly panicked as I slowly floated upward, there didn't seem to be anything I could do to get myself down to the ground. Once I reached a height that put me above the roofs of the houses in the city, I could get a view of what was going on. I saw the others far in the distance, also going up to the sky in a similar manner. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Gajeel, Wendy... Where we all going to be sent back to our own world? I hoped so. Even though it had barely been one day in this world, I was already missing Magnolia, the Fairy Tail guild hall, and my own cosy apartment.

As I continued to float up higher and higher, I looked down at the city below me. I could see people pointing at me; they must be just as confused as I was about all of this. I tried to look for the house of the couple that had taken care of me, but I was up so high at this point, it was hard to make out details. I was sent into a light in the sky, so bright that it took away all of my vision. I then experienced that same feeling I had when I was being transported to this world and everything went blank again. 

* * *

Not a second later, the light faded and I found myself falling out of a portal in the sky, along with several of the other Fairy Tail members. Somehow our fall to the ground didn't hurt as much as it should have, but it wasn't something I'd complain about. It appeared we had landed on the outskirts of Magnolia, back in Earth Land again. It was still raining, although not nearly as badly as it did when we were sent to Edolas. Only the Fairy Tail members that I had seen during our time in Edolas were here; would the others be back in the guild hall then, I wondered.

As we all cheered for having made it back to our own world, a swarm of Exceed came at us. How did they get here, weren't they part of the other world? Then again, how did Happy and Carla get here before our adventure to Edolas? My head began to fill up with questions. There seemed to be some argument going on between Carla and the Exceed, but I was too cold and tired to be willing to pay much attention to it. So much had happened in just one day, all I wanted was to go home and sleep, but it seemed there were still things left to wrap up here; I quietly waited somewhere in the background, behind the others, leaning with my back against a tree with my arms crossed.

After a short while, the Exceed took off and flew away in the distance, and it appeared we could finally head back to the city. Wait, why was everyone pumping their fists like that? Ugh, the more I looked at them doing it, the more I felt the urge doing it myself. Before I knew it I was continuously fist pumping just like them, this was so irritating… yet so addictive. I grabbed my arm with my other hand and forced it to stop doing what it was doing. There, it finally stopped.

"Where's my cat?" Gajeel was talking to himself. "Don't tell me those flying felines took Lily with them?"

"Who's Lily?" Gray and I both asked at the same time.

"Are you blind, I'm right here." At that moment, another Exceed appeared from the bushes close to where we were. His face was oddly similar to the big Exceed that got shot down by Edolas Erza's laser beam, but this one was much smaller, like a regular Exceed. They couldn't be the same person, right?

"So tiny!" Everybody else seemed to be surprised by his smaller size as well.

"You've turned really cute." Happy told him.

"It seems my physique wasn't well-suited for Earth Land." Lily explained to us, not at all bothered by his new appearance.

"I want to join the guild that took the care of my prince." He then said, getting straight to the point. "Will you let me join like you promised, Gajeel?" And he pointed his little paw at the man.

Gajeel grinned, then took the cat in his arms and gave him a strong hug that looked like it'd hurt. Also, his eyes were overflowing from tears, something I'd never expect to see from Gajeel. "Of course, buddy!" He shouted in joy as he hugged Lily. Was this the same Gajeel I had been with all this time? I couldn't believe my eyes. 

* * *

"Now, on a completely unrelated note, I caught someone suspicious." Lily said immediately after Gajeel let him go again.

"Oh! You're already achieving greatness!" Gajeel sounded honestly impressed with his new cat buddy. "You're definitely my cat, all right!"

"Come here." Lily pulled at the rope.

"Hold on… it's not what you think. Please let me explain!" A woman's voice could be heard.

One more tug from the rope and a white haired woman appeared from the bushes and fell on the wet grass right in front of us. She had her hands bound together by the rope Lily was holding.

"Ow, that hurts." She whimpered, then got up on her knees and looked at us. "I'm not suspicious, I'm a member of Fairy Tail too, actually."

Natsu had a look of disbelief in his eyes. "It's Lisanna…!" He said after a short pause.

"No way…" Gray said, just as much in shock as Natsu was.

She stared back at Natsu, then after some seconds, she launched herself at him, making them both fall to the ground. She was crying tears of joy. I had no idea who this person was, but Natsu, Gray and Erza seemed to all know her somehow. Her face and hair reminded me a lot of Mirajane's.

She proceeded to greet the others, even us newcomers who weren't sure of what was going on. There was a lot of explaining to do, so we all listened as she told us her story.

Apparently, it was believed Earth Land Lisanna died several years ago, but in fact she was somehow sent to Edolas instead, which is where she'd joined the other world's Fairy Tail. With the magic removed from Edolas, she got expelled from that world, and was sent back to Earth Land again. It all seemed a bit strange to me, but if she really was telling us the truth, then it was fine with me. Natsu and the others seemed happy to see her again.

After telling us her story, we finally went back to Magnolia Town. Natsu wanted to bring Lisanna to Elfman and Mirajane, who should still be at her grave if time really had not moved during our adventure in Edolas. I told Gajeel and Wendy I needed to return home to rest on our way there, and that I'd meet them in the guild hall tomorrow.

When I came home, I almost instantly fell asleep on the couch. I wasn't even going to bother taking off my completely drenched clothes; sleep would come first.


	36. Chapter 35 - Second Cat On Team

.

 **CHAPTER 35  
SECOND CAT ON TEAM**

It must have been afternoon already by the time I finally woke up from my sleep. I didn't think I'd ever slept for this long. Yesterday had been so eventful: being sent to another world, all the running I did, fighting, more running pushing back a huge floating island, more fighting, even more running, and then finally being sent back to this world again. What a day. So many strange things I'd seen, like, two Gajeels and two Erzas together. How was that even possible? Wait, didn't Lisanna mention there being another Fairy Tail in that other world… would that mean there were mirror versions of all of us? I wondered if one of them had met the other me. What would he be like?

I did my morning exercises whilst lost in thought about all the things I had seen and done in Edolas. My body had recovered pretty well from everything. Most of my magic was already replenished, and luckily I had been able to avoid serious injuries during the fighting. 

* * *

After my training, I hurried to the guild hall. I'd almost forgotten I'd meet up with Gajeel and Wendy today. Besides, I already missed out on breakfast by waking up so late; I hoped I'd still be in time for lunch.

The guild hall was as lively as ever. Lisanna was attracting lots of attention, people still weren't over the fact she had returned and wouldn't leave her alone. I saw Gajeel and Wendy sitting at a table together. Gajeel's face was a mixture of boredom and impatience, I felt kind of bad for arriving this late.

"Yo, guys. Sorry for being so late." I grinned and held up my hand to greet the two.

"Hmph." Gajeel obviously was in a bad mood.

"Hi, Roth!" Wendy smiled friendly. There couldn't possibly have been a greater contrast between these two Dragon Slayers. "It's fine! We only just came here."

"Yeah, right. I've been sittin' here, waitin' for at least two hours." Gajeel grumbled.

"It's not my fault you guys have limitless energy…" I defended myself. "Anyway, what's the cat doing here?" I asked, only just now noticing the black cat sitting on our table.

"Hey! I have a name, you know!" He yelled at me, but I paid no attention to it.

With the mention of the black cat, a smirk appeared on Gajeel's face. "That's right! He's my cat!" He announced proudly.

"Wait, don't tell me you'd been looking for a cat of your own all this time?" I suddenly remembered him avoiding us for days. Was that only because he was busy looking for a cat to call his own? I didn't understand this man.

"Of course. If Salamander and the brat have a cat, it's only logical I should have one, too. Cats are the symbol of a real Dragon Slayer!" Gajeel explained to me. I didn't quite follow his logic, but whatever made him happy.

"Oh, that means we have one more member on the team!" I suddenly realised. "Welcome to the team, Lily." I cheerfully said, and shook the cat's tiny arm.

"What team? Gajeel, you never told me about this!" Lily said, a little astonished by all of this.

"You're my cat, you're part of the team." Gajeel said as if it was super obvious.

"Right. We're the Thunder Dragons! We're the most awesome team in Fairy Tail!" I stated with a big grin. Wendy showed a slightly embarrassed smile as I did. 

* * *

"'Most awesome team', with you in it? Yeah, right!" Natsu said with a mischievous grin, as he appeared behind us, and pointed at Gajeel.

"Now you're asking for it, Salamander!" Gajeel lunged at Natsu before he could react and the two vanished in a cloud of dust, rolling over the floor. Gray, who stood nearby joined in, too. He probably hadn't gotten enough action during his time in Edolas, I guessed.

"You call that a brawl!? I'll show you how a real man fights!" Elfman roared with enthusiasm, amused at the uproar in the guild hall, and then dove into the dust cloud.

"Roth, don't you think you should have a cat companion like Gajeel and I do?" Wendy asked me out of nowhere, completely ignoring the chaos Gajeel and the others were causing.

"No way. Cats are for Dragon Slayers, right?" I said, disagreeing with Wendy's idea and taking up Gajeel's logic when it came to cats. "Last time I checked, I'm not a Dragon Slayer. Besides, if we get even more cats joining the team, we might as well rename our team to Thunder Cats…"

"Thunder Cats, that sounds cool, don't you think, Carla?" Wendy asked for her companion's opinion.

"Really, I thought we were done with naming the team. You lot are so indecisive." Carla sighed.

"By the way, what was the other world's me like, Wendy? Since I heard you visited that world's Fairy Tail and all, you must have seen me there, right?" I asked, eagerly for an answer, but all I got was her shaking her head. "Then, what about you, Lily? You lived in that world all your life, you must have known the other me?" I turned to Lily, but he as well simply shook his head in response. Man, that's depressing. How come the others got their other world versions, but I didn't. It wasn't fair…

"You two! Join me to fight for the glory of the Thunder Dragons!" Gajeel pulled Wendy and me by our arms with him into the cluster of chaos. Since when did Gajeel care so – Gah, never mind! How did I get involved in this mess? Or better yet, how do I get out of here!? There were bodies around me everywhere; I didn't recognise anybody while being in the middle of all of this. I tried to punch, kick and bite my way out of there, but all I did was adding even more fuel to the fire. 

* * *

Eventually, the fighting died down as we ran out of energy, leaving the guild hall in ruins. Why did things always end up like this whenever Natsu opened his mouth to either Gray or Gajeel… it's such a pain, I thought to myself, as I lied face up on the floor amongst the other exhausted Fairy Tail members. The others seemed to enjoy these free-for-alls, well, most of them did at least. It was just one of those things I didn't think I could ever get used to.

After a while, everybody slowly got up again; we tried to repair some of the damage done to the guild hall, and Wendy healed those who suffered injuries from the fighting, even though she, herself, wasn't doing that great either after getting thrown into the brawl.

"At least we didn't lose to Salamander." Gajeel seemed somewhat satisfied with the result of the fight he started.

"Seriously, could you keep me out of it next time?" I complained to him while rubbing a rather painful bruise on the back on my head.

"Geehee, you're too soft." He smirked, and slammed me on the back with his palm. Was it just me, or had Gajeel changed since our visit to Edolas? I felt a sense of camaraderie coming from him that I hadn't felt before. Even so, I still wasn't happy that he pulled me in that brawl earlier, but I would forgive him for it just this one time.

"Anyway, I'd like to do something together as team tomorrow. You'll have time then?" I asked him.

"You can count on me." Gajeel answered. "But you'd better not show up late!" He quickly added.

"All right. Tell Wendy to come, too. I'll be heading back home for the rest of the day. Seeya!" I said to him before leaving the guild hall alone. There was no way we were still going to get anything done after causing that much chaos, I might as well spend the day reading or something. I had plans for tomorrow, so I'd better not further exhaust myself.


	37. Chapter 36 - More Squirrels

.

 **CHAPTER 36  
MORE SQUIRRELS**

Feeling well rested from yesterday, I actually woke up early again for once. I thought I'd maybe get to the guild hall before Gajeel would, but I was wrong. He was already there sitting at a table with his new cat companion, Lily. He seemed to really like the little guy.

"Well, am I not too late this time?" I asked as I got a seat at his table.

"Not as bad as yesterday… now we just gotta wait for the brat." He said, not showing much emotion. "So, what's the plan for today?" He asked after a short while to break the silence between us.

"I'd like to wait for Wendy to be here before announcing it." I said, not wanting to reveal my awesome plan right away.

"You'll be waiting all day, then." Juvia said as she approached us. "She trusted Juvia with this unfortunate message to tell her teammates that she won't be able to attend today." Juvia said in her usual strange way of speaking in third person.

"Did she give any reasons?" I asked, wondering what could be the reason for her not being able to show up for the team meeting today.

"It appears she has overworked herself yesterday when she was already not feeling well herself… Poor child." Juvia said with a rather sad tone in her voice.

Of course she did. What was Gajeel even thinking when he threw her right into that massive brawl with all the others. I sighed. I didn't want to get into an argument about it, but I'd have to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

"Thanks for letting us know, Juvia." I said. She merely nodded and then left right away, probably back to stalking Gray or whatever she normally did in her free time. "Well, since Wendy isn't coming today, let's do a regular job today?" I suggested as I turned back to Gajeel.

"Fine by me." He said, and we both got up to get to the request board. "There was an interesting job on the board I saw earlier… Let's see where it was." He mumbled as he had a closer look at the board. 

* * *

"You men were looking for this?" Elfman, who also happened to be at the request board, said to us and showed us a job request paper he held in his hand.

 _ **Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels –**_ _**Need help A.S.A.P.!**  
Requirements: Competent wizard willing to beat up squirrels.  
Payment: 30 000 Jewel  
Rank: B_

"Oi, that's mine!" Gajeel growled as he pointed at the paper Elfman held up.

"It's in the hands of a real man now, so you'd better go look for something else!" Elfman said, not impressed with Gajeel's reaction.

"We've dealt with killer squirrels before… Let's team up and do this together?" I tried to negotiate. If these squirrels were anything like the last one we fought, this job might be too tough for Elfman alone to handle. And with Wendy missing in our team, we could use a third person for this, I thought.

"Hm…" Elfman was thinking as he looked intently at the two of us. "That sounds good to me!" He then decided after a short pause.

"You're okay with that, Gajeel?" I asked just to be sure Gajeel would be willing to go along with it.

"Geehee, sure." 

* * *

And with that, we left the guild hall. According to the details listed on the request paper, the location of our job was at the same roadside as where we were previously to deal with the squirrel problem. Just how bad could it be, I wondered as we walked there.

"By the way, Gajeel. Didn't you say you disliked Wendy's pick for that previous squirrel job we took?" I asked him, a bit curious as to why Gajeel seemed so stubborn about taking up this particular job.

"That was before it turned out we got to fight against a monster squirrel…" He grunted.

"A real man is fine with taking up any job!" Elfman said with an optimistic grin on his face. "…Whether that involves fighting monsters or not!"

His usage of the word man could get a little annoying, but I liked Elfman's positive attitude.

Once we arrived at our job location, just outside the city walls of Magnolia, it felt as though we had entered a warzone. It was much worse than I'd have imagined. Broken market stalls and wares lied scattered all across the roadside. The place was mostly abandoned, with only a few merchants still there, taking shelter behind or under the pieces of their stalls, most likely protecting the little they still had left. A little further up, three monster squirrels could be seen. It looked like they'd begun another raid as they were running back and forth with stolen wares in their big arms, piling it all up somewhere at the edge of the forest.

There was no time to waste; we couldn't let these squirrels get away with this any longer. We all rushed past the ruined market, straight towards the squirrels. I could hear a few weak cheers from the merchants that were still there as we arrived at the scene.

"Three of these squirrels and three of us. We all know what to do." I said, making it clear we would all take on one squirrel each.

"Geehee, that won't be a problem!" Gajeel could hardly wait to give his fists some work to do.

"A manly plan, I approve of this! Let's do this!" Elfman exclaimed enthusiastically as he walked up to his target squirrel.

I would take the one in the middle; he looked similar to the big squirrel Gajeel and I fought before. Big, tough, and with a mouth filled with sharp fangs, and huge claws on both feet and hands. These squirrels were certainly not to be underestimated. Though, I should be fine taking one on by myself. While my first encounter with one did give me some trouble, I had gotten stronger since then.

"I am Rex! Nuts Rex!" It roared at me like the monster it was. "I am here to avenge the defeat of my li'l bro! You shall die!"

"How cute, but the only one who'll be dying here will be you." I calmly replied, not letting myself be intimidated by this thing. 

* * *

There was a good bit of distance between us; this would be a good opportunity to get off a few spells before he closes in on me, I thought. I Prequipped myself with armour and sword, and immediately launched several Lightning Shock spells at my opponent. The flow of magic felt easier and more flexible to manipulate than ever. The casting of these basic spells almost came naturally for me now, hardly taking any concentration at all. I really had improved.

The spells landed right on target, but the squirrel's fur seemed to absorb the majority of the shock.

"Nut Launcher!" The squirrel cast a magic spell. A large, hollow wooden log materialised out of thin air. It grabbed it with one of his muscular arms and placed it on its shoulder. With a loud boom, shots were fired from the wooden cannon. Several large nuts came flying at me at high speed; I held the blade of my sword in front of me, hoping to be able to parry the shots. I sliced the first one in half, blocked the second one with the side of my sword, dodged the third one. The fourth nut followed too quickly for me to react to it and struck my arm, just below the plate of armour over my shoulder. My entire arm went numb, as if it had been paralysed. I could hardly move it at all, but I was lucky it wasn't my sword arm.

I took back a slight amount of energy from my magic-created sword, shortening the blade. While it would be less effective for extensive melee combat, it should make it easier for me to wield using only one arm. The only problem was that this squirrel seemed fairly resistant against my lightning techniques.

Another barrage of nuts were fired from his Nut Launcher, but this time I had prepared myself for it. "Photon Barrier!" I created a small barrier, only covering the bare minimum to protect myself with. With a small barrier, the density of electric particles was much higher than with a large barrier, making it much more effective at taking out projectiles that entered the field. The bullet nuts got blown up by the particles of my barrier as they came into contact with them.

I found out from the previous rounds of fire that the Nut Launcher needed some time to recharge before it could be used to fire again. This could be my chance to safely get an attack off. If regular Lightning Shocks weren't going to do the trick, then I'd just have to use more power, I thought, and held the blade of my sword directly aimed Rex Nuts, who was already preparing a follow up attack. I channelled a great amount of magic at once through my arm, onto my sword, which began to glow, and sparks of electricity were visible all around it.

"New technique! Focused Strike!" A large magic circle formed around the blade, spinning around for a second before shrinking to a smaller size. As it did, the glow surrounding my sword turned into an intense, white light, with a sphere of compressed electricity forming at the tip. I closed my eyes at this moment, with the only thing in my mind the location of my enemy. I could sense his source of energy, a distance away from me; the shape and size of this source, as clear as crystal, visible in mind, marking my target.

At that moment, a broad beam of concentrated lightning shot from the blade of my sword, the recoil pushing me backward slightly. Even with my eyes closed as I cast this spell I could see the intensely bright light coming from it. My arm holding the sword was violently shaking as I continued firing the beam; I was having difficulty to keep it still while channelling this much magic through it. 

* * *

Suddenly, something knocked on my head. I immediately lost all focus, loosening the grip on my sword and accidentally dropped it onto the ground.

"Oi. Ain't that a bit overkill?" Gajeel casually said as he stood next to me and looked at where I had been shooting my beam at. A long trail ran over the ground in front of me of nothing but scorched earth. Not even the grass had survived. Had my technique been this destructive…? I honestly was a little in shock at what I'd just done.

As the smoke cleared, the monster squirrel appeared to have survived the blast, but it looked heavily wounded; sparks of electricity were coming from its fur. Even with its resistance to lightning attacks, my technique had been pretty effective. Firing off another Focused Strike would require too much energy, though. I'd have to try to finish it off with physical attacks, I thought to myself as I got ready to defend myself from the angry squirrel. But Gajeel wouldn't give me the chance to go for another round and proceeded to bash my squirrel into the ground with an extended iron club arm.

"Tch, all that wasted magic and still not finish the job…" I could hear him mutter. It's not like it was my fault this thing was able to withstand my type of magic so well, at least I'd managed to do some good damage to it. I was somewhat thankful Gajeel finished it off for me, as with my weakened second arm, it would have taken me quite some extra effort.

I turned around and watched Elfman fighting in his beast form against the third squirrel. It didn't seem like he had too much trouble with his opponent and he was about to round things up. He looked pretty fearsome when he transformed himself into that huge beast. I was glad he was on our side when I looked at him fight. The squirrel didn't stand a chance against the brutal pummelling from Elfman and attempted to flee when it saw its two allies were defeated by us. Elfman leapt over its head and landed right in front the panicking squirrel. He began to hammer on it with his monstrous fists, the squirrel completely defenceless against the flurry of punches. As a finisher, Elfman grabbed it by its leg, swung it around above his head and flung it over the horizon. I almost felt a bit sorry for the squirrel, even though I realised how much of a hypocrite that would make me considering how I fired a destructive beam of lightning at the one I'd fought. I certainly was glad Wendy hadn't come with us on this job. All this violence against the squirrels would've made her cry… 

* * *

The few merchants who'd stayed behind cheered at us and thanked us from the bottom of their hearts. I really hoped this would be the last we got to see of these squirrels, or else we'd have to beat them up even harder next time. We shared the reward money equally between the three of us.

"Man, it's over already! That hardly counted as a warming up!" Elfman complained as if he was disappointed by today's job, even though he had a huge grin on his face, showing that he must've enjoyed himself.

"Well, what'd you expect from a bunch of squirrels. They better come at us with more power next time, geehee." Gajeel laughed. He must have had a great time, too.

"You two are insane." I chuckled. Both of them were so much into beating stuff up, it was amusing to me. I had to admit, though, that I enjoyed my fight today. It had been one of my first one on one fights so far. I felt my connection with my flow of magic had greatly improved since last time, which had allowed me to channel such a huge amount of energy through my body all at once without triggering heavy exhaustion.

As we walked back to the guild hall, I hoped Wendy would be feeling better tomorrow.


	38. Chapter 37 - Gajeel's Training

.

 **CHAPTER 37  
GAJEEL'S TRAINING**

Whereas I'd noticed my growth rates, in the sense of gaining raw power, had beginning to slow down compared to when I first started out with my magic training, I could sense myself growing more in other aspects, such as control over the flow of magic inside my body. Moving around magic began to feel like a second nature, something I could do without the need of thinking or planning ahead like I needed to before, at least when it came to the more basic techniques I had learned to use. This also allowed me to more easily manipulate these techniques into different variations. I hadn't used Focused Strike ever before yesterday's fight, nor had I ever trained myself in using it. I had merely used my knowledge of casting Lightning Strike and altered the way I'd normally cast it.

I felt proud of how far I'd been able to come already. No longer did I feel small or inferior to Gajeel in combat situations. Even though I realised he was still more powerful than me when it came to dishing out damage and had more endurance to take heavy blows, I had been developing my own way of fighting. Gajeel sure was strong, but he was also more limited in the kind of abilities he could use. My aim was to learn to use all sorts of different techniques to make sure I could always find some way to fight back, which exactly tied in with what I'd planned on doing for today.

"So, what's that big plan you had for us?" Gajeel inquired. I had gathered the three of us at our table in the guild hall this morning. Wendy and Carla had both fully recovered from their illness again.

"For today, I was thinking for you, Gajeel, to show us your methods of training." I answered plainly. "Tomorrow it'll be my turn to teach you my ways of training, and the day after that we'll follow Wendy." I continued to explain. "I'm sure we all have different ways of becoming stronger. Teaching each other could benefit in helping us working on our individual weaknesses."

"That sounds like a solid idea." Lily said and nodded, approving of my idea.

"Can't say I disagree with that." Gajeel admitted after thinking about it for a moment.

"You're up for it, too, Wendy?" I asked her since she had been quiet all this time, which was a little unusual for her.

"I… I think so." She said, a little uncertain.

"Let's get going then!" I said enthusiastically. "You take the lead, Gajeel, and teach us your ways!"

* * *

Wendy and I followed him outside, where we then headed to the central town plaza.

"We run! Ten laps around the market place!" He ordered. "When you're done, meet up at the South Gate Park!" With those words, he ran off to start his training.

Ten laps! Around the town's market area! That would take at least two hours, even when going at reasonable pace if my calculations were correct. Well, it had been my idea to go with the others' training; I'd better get started.

Luckily, I was no stranger to running long distances, so I was able to keep up quite well but after my sixth lap, I began to feel my legs. I had to keep going. If I ever wanted to get on Gajeel's level I couldn't allow him to outdo me. With those thoughts in my head, I forced myself to finish the remaining four laps without falling behind too much. I still finished some time after him, but at least I'd made it. Wendy was taking a lot longer to finish her ten laps, I took that opportunity to rest my tired legs and get my breathing back to normal again. I honestly felt a bit sorry her, she looked like she was having a hard time with this. Gajeel and I had both passed her at least twice; it would probably take a while for her to finish her ten laps.

After an hour or something, Wendy finally showed up at the park, looking like she'd gone through hell. Her legs were shaking and she was completely out of breath, gasping wildly for air. She slowly made her way to us, but stumbled over something and fell face down in the grass. Gajeel and I ran up to her to see if she was okay.

"I… I made it…" She said weakly, and showed us a faint smile. "…Just need… some rest…" With that, she closed her eyes.

* * *

"I'll be taking a nap, then." Gajeel said, returning to the bench he'd been sitting on earlier.

"Wait." I halted him. "Show me the rest of your training." There was no point in waiting for Wendy to wake up. She was absolutely done for today.

"Very well." Gajeel said after a moment of silence. "Punch that tree with your bare knuckles until I tell you to stop." He ordered me and pointed at the big tree in the centre of the park.

I positioned myself in front of the tree and began to hit it with my fists. I realised how weak my hands were when I felt the pain going through them as I struck the tree. All this time I'd been focusing on improving either my magical abilities or my swordplay; I wasn't used to using my fists to hit things with.

"Use more power!" Gajeel barked. He'd probably noticed my weakened hits.

I tried to, but the pain made it difficult. With every hit, I felt the skin on my knuckles tearing. I hadn't time to look, but it was probably bleeding. There had to be another way if I wanted to keep going like this. Was there maybe a way I could use magic to make things easier for me? I channelled magic to both my fists while thinking of a way I could put it to use. With my next punch I formed a small magic circle between my fist and the tree I was about to strike. A thin cushion layer of electric particles formed around it.

As my fist made contact with the tree's bark, there was a blast of tiny sparks. It didn't hurt nearly as much this time around, and I still landed a good hit on my target. Now I just had to fine-tune the amount of magic needed to make this work effectively. As I slowly perfected my technique to protect my knuckles from hurting on impact, I began to speed up my punching.

After some time, Gajeel finally thought I'd done enough and told me to stop. My arms felt tired after all that. I wondered what he'd have next for me.

"I'm surprised you actually made it through that." Gajeel said, seemingly mildly impressed with my performance so far.

"So, what's next?" I asked, even though I didn't feel like I'd be ready for more already.

"We nap."

"What!? That's part of your training?" I shrieked in disbelieve. "Besides, why didn't you punch the tree with me earlier? You're going easy on yourself?"

"I already finished by the time you got here." Gajeel dryly answered as he sat down under the tree. "One more thing: training my punches is something I only do on Tuesdays. I have different exercises for the other days of the week." With that, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

Napping was actually part of his training. So, that's why I often found him sleeping in the guild hall in the mornings. Going by how exhausting his training exercises were it didn't really surprise me. In fact, I felt so tired after all this, I was tempted to take a nap myself.

I spent the rest of the morning asleep under the tree in South Gate Park. Once I finally woke up, I felt completely refreshed; I didn't think it'd feel this great to rest for a while after doing training. I'd certainly have to try adding that to my own routine.


	39. Chapter 38 - The Training Continues

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 **CHAPTER 38  
THE TRAINING CONTINUES**

Aw man, today my teammates would be following me on my training, and I hadn't prepared anything yet. I had actually somehow woken up later this morning than I'd planned, even though I napped for at least two hours after Gajeel's training yesterday. I had only just finished dressing myself, when I could hear knocking on my door. That's right, I'd told them to come visit me at my house, so it would save me the time walking back and forth from the guild hall, but right now I was regretting that I did.

Before I even made it to the door to open it, Gajeel already barged in, with Wendy standing behind him.

"Geh, you sure we have enough space to do your training in here?" Gajeel asked as he looked at my fairly small sized room with stuff lying all over the floor, giving him even less room to stand without stepping on something.

"…Well, I forgot to clean before you two came in." I grinned in embarrassment. "Give me a minute." I began to scrape some of the junk off the floor and piled it in some corner.

"What do we start with, Roth?" Wendy asked me excitedly as I was still putting things away to make more room for the three of us.

"Right, yeah. Well…" I was finally done, and I was thinking of how to start with this training. I figured it would make sense to simply show them what I always did, but after having gone through Gajeel's training, they'd probably just laugh at me… It was true, I hadn't really developed my ways of training since the day I'd started. I still did the exact same exercises, even though I could handle way more at this point.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Gajeel asked impatiently since I was taking my time actually giving them something to do. There was no more time for me come up with something better, I'd just have to give them my regular training routine and hope they didn't think I was some kind of loser.

"Okay." I said decisively. "We do push-ups." I got myself to the ground and began doing the push-ups. Gajeel and Wendy both did as I told them to do. As expected from Gajeel, he had no trouble keeping up at all. In fact, he was doing better than me. Wendy, on the other hand, had a harder time, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as yesterday with Gajeel's training.

I told them to do a number of sit-ups, and after that some basic weight lifting. We were done within an hour, despite being slowed down by Wendy, who needed a few short breaks.

"Great warming-up. Now, where's the real training?" Gajeel asked impatiently.

"Th–That actually was the training…" I said, still a little out of breath after going through all the exercises. "Well, I normally also practise my swordsmanship, but since neither of you use swords to fight, I guess that wouldn't work out well."

"Phew... That was tough. I can't believe you do this every morning, Roth!" Wendy said, sounding honestly impressed with my training routine. If it had been anybody else, I'd believed they were being sarcastic.

"You're kidding, right? I woke up early for this?" Gajeel complained aloud.

"I'm sorry I don't have more. I thought we might have taken a little longer, but you two are that great." I looked down and apologised. Only now I realised I should have thought this through better than I did, it's just that the idea of sharing our training routines sounded better in my head than it turned out in practice.

"It's fine! Since it's still early I could show you my training if you'd like?" Wendy proposed enthusiastically. Right after finishing our training here, would she be all right?

As the three of us silently walked to the guild building together, I wondered if the only reason Wendy had suggested us to follow up with her training routine right away was to put Gajeel back in a better mood. 

* * *

Wendy led us to the guild library where she told us to wait there for a minute while she would go get something. The library was a place filled with many books on magic and history regarding the continent of Fiore. I'd never spent much time here, as I preferred reading at home. Levy could often be found sitting quietly in the library, reading whatever she hadn't read yet, though not today. I made myself comfortable in one of the big, soft chairs, as we waited for Wendy to return to us to show us her ways of training.

"Pah, reading isn't training." Gajeel muttered. He sure didn't seem in a great mood today.

I wasn't going to argue with him, even though I disagreed with his statement. To me, knowledge was power. It had taught me aspects of magic and combat I would not have learned about by doing physical exercises only.

Some minutes later, Wendy returned to the library with Levy at her side. She waved at us when she saw us sitting there.

"I brought Levy to help us a little. I hope you don't mind?" Wendy asked us both. I let her know I was fine with it, Gajeel merely responded with an indifferent "Hmph."

"She's also brought us some extra Gale-Force Reading Glasses, you're free to borrow from her!" Wendy announced with a smile. Levy handed Gajeel and me each one pair of glasses.

"These will let you read twice as fast as normal. They're really helpful to get through texts quickly!" Levy explained to us. I examined the glasses for a moment and then put them on. So, this was the trick behind her going through books as quickly as she did. I took a new book from the series I'd been reading for a while now. It was so big, I'd been busy reading it for weeks now. It contained information about all sorts of forms of magic, but mostly about Dragon-Slaying and Devil-Slaying magic, and their origins. It also had pictures in it, which I quite liked. As I opened the book and began reading the first letters, the effect of the magic glasses kicked in. My eyes moved over the text much more rapidly, but I was somehow still able to process all the information I normally would have. This felt pretty amazing.

Meanwhile, Gajeel wasn't convinced about this whole thing yet.

"I know just the right book for you, Gajeel." Levy said as she searched the book-filled shelves.

"Seriously, I have better things to do." Gajeel complained. "And these glasses… they look ridiculous."

"Really? I bet they'd look cute on you. Here, try reading this." She then said, and held her hand holding a book out at him.

"You have to at least give it a try, Gajeel. We also followed you on your training!" Wendy said rather uncompromisingly.

"Gah, fine. Gimme that book." He grumbled and finally gave in.

"And put your glasses on." Levy ordered him. "It'll really help, trust me." She then said in a much friendlier tone. Gajeel sighed heavily but did as Levy told him. From the corner of my eye, to avoid him noticing my gaze, I looked at Gajeel to see what he looked like with glasses on and reading a book. It was quite funny, certainly not a sight to be easily forgotten. 

* * *

Wendy let Gajeel go after about an hour or so, when she decided he had done enough reading for the training. Levy went with him and promised to cheer him up as a reward for having done some actual reading today. I hadn't thought I'd be staying here after training would be over, but these magic glasses made reading so much easier, I spent the next few hours staying in the library. It was until I reached a certain chapter in the book I was reading that I was reminded of something I'd be meaning to ask Wendy about.

"Wendy." Breaking this silence felt uncomfortable. "Have you tried to teach me how to use Dragon-Slayer magic?" I asked her, getting straight to the point.

"Uhm… what do you mean, Roth?" She looked up from her book, taken by surprise by my sudden question.

"Remember when we had our battle against the King of Edolas? I attempted to use that enchantment spell you'd tried to teach me before that, but failed at properly executing it." I elaborated. "Don't you use primarily Dragon-Slayer magic, which would also include your use of enchantment spells?"

Wendy was in thought for a moment. "Oh, I remember again! You'd asked me to help you with other kinds of spells, so I'd tried to teach you one I'd read about…"

"Right."

"I'm so sorry, Roth. We had such a busy time those weeks before our adventure in Edolas happened. I had completely forgotten about it after the first lesson." She apologised profoundly.

"I tried to learn it on my own, but I can't seem to make much progress… and it failed me in battle against the King." I told her. "The reason is because I can't use Dragon-Slayer magic?"

She merely shook her head lightly. "The spell I gave you is a variation of the type of magic I use. It's based on Air magic. Since Lightning magic and Air magic are partially related to each other, I thought you might be able to use it." She explained to me.

"I see…"

"I was really impressed by your use of that spell during the battle. It's not easy at all to use a spell made of a different element than you normally use!" She tried to cheer me up with a compliment after getting a rather weak reply back from me.

"What's the point if it failed, though? I couldn't be of use to you guys." Despite her effort of trying to comfort me with kind words, I couldn't make myself feel good about it.

"I'm unsure how much of help I could be to you, but if you'd like, we could practise the spell again together?" She suggested to me. I agreed to that and we went outside, to a small park, nearby the guild building.

"I might have an idea that could help, but first, could you show me how far you can get with it on your own so far?" She asked me.

"Tide of the arcane spirits that flow through the heavens! Invoke!" I still remembered the correct incantation. With my eyes closed, I searched for the source of Wendy's magic. She stood still and was only a couple of metres away, making it easy for me to locate and lock onto her. I established my connection and began transferring over the energy I had gathered during the initial casting of the spell. Not seconds later, the link between us broke and most of my energy flowed back to me. I opened my eyes again, letting her know that was all I could do.

"You're doing exactly as I told you in the first lesson?" She wanted to know.

I simply nodded. I still remembered her instructions very well. I had tried to follow them exactly as she'd explained them to me, but I couldn't seem to make progress after this certain point.

"Try to establish a connection using lightning instead of air… I'm not sure how well it would work, but it should certainly be easier than using an element you aren't familiar with."

I tried again after her suggestion. I got to the part of creating a connection between me and her again, but this time I'd have to try to make one using lightning. Wendy had explained me in rather great detail how to make one using Air magic worked for her, but I wasn't entirely sure how her method was supposed to be used with Lightning magic instead. I tried to visualise a thin string of electric particles, forming the connection I'd use to transfer over my gathered energy. Using Lightning magic this time, I attempted to establish the connection.

At that moment, I could hear a cry of pain coming from Wendy. I opened my eyes and saw electric sparks coming off her.

"Y–You might have used too much electricity..." She said rather weakly.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think I was channelling this much magic! Are you okay…?" I apologised and checked to see if she wasn't hurt too much.

I thought it'd be best to call it a day after that; she agreed with that. I went back home after asking Levy if I could keep the magic glasses she'd given to me for a while longer, which she was fine with. These two days had been very useful to me, even though it was hard to call them a great success. Gajeel hadn't seemed to have enjoyed this exchange of training exercises after all, and Wendy had gone through way too much pain on the first day. I wished I had planned things out better in advance, but it was over now. We'd be going back to our regular schedule again from now on.

I'd make sure to add more physical training exercises to my daily routine from now on to keep up with Gajeel, and thanks to Levy's magic glasses, I'd be able to get more reading done than I could before. I would also have to work on getting that enchantment spell working properly. On top of that, I'd also have to get some jobs done again to pay the monthly rent…


	40. Chapter 39 - Man Versus Cat

.

 **CHAPTER 39  
MAN VERSUS CAT**

After finishing my new, updated training regime this morning, I went to the guild hall. My body had to adjust to the effort required for the new exercises; it certainly made training a lot more exhausting again. But if all goes well, it should pay off in the long run, I thought to comfort myself.

As I sat down at our team's table with Gajeel and Wendy already there, I was confronted by a rather bold looking Lily.

"You… Roth's your name, correct?" He stood on the table and pointed his paw at me. "Allow me to practise swordfighting with you. Please." He followed up before giving me the chance to even respond to his first question. He stared me directly in the eyes with fiery eyes.

"He's had Erza as his sparring partner for the past couple of days, but she went on a job with Salamander. He now insists on training his swordsmanship with you." Gajeel elaborated.

"Correct." Lily agreeably nodded and folded his arms.

"I'd be fine with that… but you're sure you want a human to be a sparring partner? After all, you're quite small." I asked with curiosity as I took a bite from a dry cracker. I couldn't imagine a tiny cat like him to put up much of a fight when it came to swordfighting.

"Right. You haven't seen me in my battle form yet." As he said that he transformed into a big, muscular, humanoid panther. "In this form I have much more muscle power." He explained.

I almost choked on my cracker in shock when I saw the cat grow into something as big as a human. Was this for real? I had no idea Exceed were capable of transforming themselves like that… would Happy and Carla be able to do the same, I wondered.

"In that case, I suppose I could be your sparring partner." I said to him and got up.

"Erza gave me this training sword. It's made of real metal, but its blade is dull, thus unlikely to inflict serious injuries." Lily showed and enlarged the tiny sword he had been holding earlier. "Anyway, let us practise here. Are you ready?" He asked and took on a battle stance. 

* * *

"Here, in the guild hall?" I asked to make sure. I looked around, but not many people were looking at us as we were about to start our sparring match. I guessed it wouldn't be that unusual after all… I Prequipped myself and took the Lightning Edge in both hands. "Ready when you are."

Without warning, Lily fiercely lunged at me and attacked with a flurry of swift strikes, catching me by surprise; I hadn't expected him to go all-out right from the start. I quickly parried his attacks and took a few steps back to create some space between us. He did so, too. This time, it would be me on the offensive, and I dashed at him, holding my sword up high. I opened up with a forceful attack from above, followed by a burst of quick, light stabs at his torso. I had been training myself in different sword techniques in some of my free time. It wasn't anything fancy, but it seemed to do the job against Lily, who was pushed into defending now.

Slowly, however, Lily was beginning to start counter-attacking; he probably figured out the pattern of my attacks. Now, it was my turn to defend against him again. I noticed how strong his attacks were, especially considering how fast he swung his blade around. He certainly wasn't to be underestimated. We went back and forth, switching between defending and attacking for a while until he suddenly transformed back into the tiny cat figure I had known him as before. I could halt the movement of my arm just in time to prevent myself from slicing him in two. 

* * *

"I apologise. That's the best I can do at this moment." Lily said, not at all fazed by the blade only centimetres away from his face. "I am still unable to maintain my battle form for longer periods of time. Anyway, thank you for being my sparring partner this morning, Roth."

"Yeah, no problem." I casually replied, and removed my Prequipped gear and took a seat at our table again.

"You're a pretty strong warrior, Lily!" Wendy complimented him, impressed with how well he stood his ground against me in a swordfight.

"Well, I was commander of the royal army in Edolas. But it's been a long time I've had some real action, so my skills have grown a bit rusty." Lily calmly explained. "Also, this training sword I got from Erza is too small for my tastes; I'd like to buy myself something bigger some time."

"By the way, why don't you train your combat abilities, Carla?" I asked her, since she too, was an Exceed, like Lily. "You're dedicated to protecting Wendy, right? Some training could do you well." I suggested.

"Of course I am. But there are more ways to do that than swinging around huge hunks of metal, like you and that metal-head over there like to do." She immediately sneered back. "When Wendy's in danger, I'll help her escape."

"But can't you use any type of magic besides flying?" I ignored her somewhat rude response.

"I have another talent, but I doubt your tiny brain would be able to comprehend its power." And with that, she turned around as if the conversation between us was over.

"Bah, I doubt it's anything useful, anyway." Gajeel joined in, clearly getting a bit annoyed by Carla's rather crude attitude towards us.

"Please, calm down, guys. Carla's doing her best for me. And for the team." Wendy tried to stop the situation from potentially escalating any further. "She's just not really a fighter like the rest of us."

"That doesn't excuse her ill-mannered demeanour when it comes to dealing with us!" I exclaimed as I got up and slammed one hand onto the table, the other pointing at Carla, who turned around again to face me. Even Gajeel seemed a bit taken aback by my abrupt and fierce response to Wendy's attempt of cooling down the situation. There wasn't an excuse Carla remained so hostile towards us, something had to be said about it, I thought.

"You! Where were you when Wendy was in danger of getting killed by the king of Edolas!?" I aggressively aimed my words at Carla, who looked just as shocked as the others at my outburst. "That's right. You weren't there for her when she could very well have gotten killed, had it not been for her working on training her abilities – had it not been for us, Gajeel and I, to be with her in combat and fighting at her side! You always want to shield her from any kind of danger and prevent her from doing anything that involves fighting, yet it was thanks to her that we were able to claim victory over the king of Edolas!" I could see tears welling up in Carla's eyes as I spoke my harsh words, but I wasn't done yet. "You always try to make us out as something inferior to you, yet we were the ones she was able to rely on when she needed help the most! How can you keep on belittling us when we're doing everything we can to help her and protect her!? Since we're all in this team together, which includes you, don't you think it would be better if we could all just be nice to each other?" While I had more I could say on the subject, I hoped this would be enough to get the message through.

After a moment of silence, Carla, still having tears in eyes, ran off without responding to my scolding. Wendy went after her.

I sat down again and folded my arms. Neither Gajeel nor Lily seemed to want to say something either. A rather uneasy silence at our table followed. Just when I thought Carla was starting to accept us, she still seemed to dislike us for some reason, and wouldn't go out of her way to not make it so obvious either. My thoughts returned to what I'd just said earlier; I wondered if I had been too harsh to her. No, that wasn't it. She just wasn't used to receiving criticism. Wendy was always so nice and soft to her. Even if she didn't agree with Carla's words, she'd just rather try to cool down the situation rather than confronting her companion about it. It was about time she was confronted about her actions.

"Well, I'll be going home. See you guys tomorrow." I said after some time, before I'd even noticed Gajeel was in the middle of doing some napping. I got up and left the guild hall. Hopefully everything would be back to normal again, I thought. 

* * *

"Roth!" I could hear Wendy's voice calling me in the distance on my way back home. I turned to the direction I heard her from and saw her running toward me, with Carla at her side.

"I was worried when I couldn't find you at the guild!" Wendy said to me as she stopped some metres away from me. I remained silent, unsure what she wanted from me. She looked at Carla, as if she was expecting something from her. After a short moment, Carla stepped forward, approaching me, but avoiding eye contact as she did.

"You're here to apologise?" I cautiously asked, since she remained silent.

"I am. And I am sorry for my words to you and Gajeel this morning." She answered with clear voice, and finally looked me in the eyes. Wendy looked super proud at Carla, as she said that.

"So, that means you'll be dropping the bad attitude towards us?" I asked. She nodded and held out her little paw at me. I knelt down in front of her. Instead of shaking hands, I took her in both my arms and hugged her. I then let her go again, and smiled at her, letting her know her apology was accepted. Carla smiled back at me and thanked me, then returned to Wendy again, who had tears showing in her eyes. She still looked so proud of Carla.

"Let's be friends from now on, then." I suggested and aimed a thumbs up at her. "And don't forget to apologise to Gajeel, alright? I'm sure he'd appreciate it, too." She nodded back at me with a friendly smile, and with that, I continued on my way back home, glad that this whole thing with Carla was finally resolved.


	41. Valentine's Special - Prince & Princess

.

 **VALENTINE'S SPECIAL  
PRINCE AND PRINCESS**

I got up, did my morning exercises and went to the guild hall for some breakfast. It was just another day in the week, or that's what I thought it would be. Little did I know that today was a day of love, and that Fairy Tail would take it as an excuse to have another party going.

Not unusual for me, I arrived fairly late in the guild hall that morning, which was quite lively for this time of the day. Gajeel wasn't even sitting at our team table, but instead he was in some drinking contest with the rest of Team Natsu. Seriously, a drinking contest in the morning, I thought to myself in disbelief. I joined Wendy, who was sitting with Carla at our table.

"Hi, Roth. Are you participating in the guild's Valentine Lover's Competition?" Wendy enthusiastically confronted me with a question I didn't know anything about.

"Valenwhat? Competition?" What is this about?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Oh, did you miss the announcement? Our guild master gave us the details just earlier; everyone's excited for it!" She noticed the confused look on my face and began to explain to me what this was all about. Apparently there was a guild event hosted every year during Valentine's Day, in which pairs of men and women would compete against others for a grand prize. Every year had a different kind of competition and would only be announced on the same day the event would take place.

"… I guess I'll come to watch." I said, disinterested in it, and took a bite from the dry cracker I had for breakfast. 

* * *

At that moment, a mildly tipsy Gajeel butted into our conversation. "You ain't thinkin' of pairin' up with the brat, are ya? Geehee~!" He taunted me with an impish grin on his face.

"Just what are you implying, Gajeel?" He definitely crossed the line with that comment of his, though I didn't want to get into a fight with him about it.

"You two sittin' together at this table… you ain't foolin' nobody, Lightnin' Boy!" Gajeel continued to provoke me and seemed to take great pleasure in it. "Too bad you can't find a real girl to go with. Geehee!" Wendy looked slightly upset when Gajeel regarded her as not being a real girl.

I had trouble keeping my calm, but I knew Gajeel wasn't being himself. The alcohol had a rather bad effect on him.

"I'm pretty confident I'd be able to get a girl to pair up with before you could." I calmly retaliated. I knew there was one girl Gajeel was somewhat interested in, but I also knew he'd never dare to admit it. At least not under normal circumstances.

"Geehee, we'll see about that!" Gajeel laughed and walked off to get more booze at the bar. I sighed after he left. Just what was I getting myself into now?

"Does that mean you'll participate, Roth?" Wendy asked carefully after a moment of silence.

"Of course! I'll have to teach him not to underestimate me. Just who does he think I am?" I said with more determination than I really felt in me. 

* * *

I looked around the guild hall; it seemed people had already begun forming pairs. There were the obvious ones, like Juvia with her beloved Gray, and Bisca with Alzack. It looked like Natsu had chosen to go with Lucy. A not-so-surprising pick, since the two hung out together almost all the time. I figured I had to make my move rather sooner than later, before all the 'real' girls would be taken and I'd be forced to go with Wendy, only to get laughed at by everybody.

The thought of going with Levy crossed my mind for a moment. It didn't look like she had a partner yet as Jet and Droy were both still fighting over her. She was a nice and sweet girl. She'd helped me unlock my magic powers, taught me the basics, and had allowed me to come along with her on a few missions when I was still a newcomer. The problem was that Gajeel would surely try to approach her, especially seeing how he'd taken up my challenge. She was the only person who was able to soften that heart of steel of his.

Maybe I should go with a girl who doesn't have a boy interested in her yet. Wait, why didn't I think of her sooner? Erza was sitting alone, abandoned by her teammates who were now spending time with their partners in preparation for the event. Everyone was too scared to even consider approaching her. Erza could genuinely be pretty scary, true… Memories of my race against her came up in my head again and I shivered for a moment. But she was my best option at this rate. 

* * *

I got up from my seat, leaving Wendy sitting alone at our table, and made my way to Erza. What I was I going to say to her. I began to curse myself for not preparing at all. What's worse was that I had zero experience in approaching girls. This could very well turn into a complete disaster, especially since I had Erza to deal with. Before I'd even finished my depressive thoughts I already found myself standing in front of her. She looked back at me with a gaze that petrified me. She really was scary, especially up this close, but I had to say something before this would get even worse.

"I… I–I'd… I'd–" I hopelessly stuttered.

"…Yes?" Erza asked with a sliver of curiosity in her voice.

"I'dliketopairupwithyoufortheeventpleasewillyou!?" I shouted out loud and way too fast for anyone to understand what I just said. I felt my face turning red and I looked at the ground. There was no way I could look her straight in the eyes after that failure of asking a simple question.

The entire guild hall went completely quiet. This total silence was absolutely soul-crushing. Now, everyone in the guild would know how much of a loser I was when it came to girls. I remained standing there, looking at the ground like an idiot. After what seemed like an eternity, Erza finally was going to respond to my nonsense. This would be the end of me, or so I thought to myself.

"I…" She slowly said. I raised my head a little so I could see her face. She softly smiled while still having her eyes locked onto me, and there was a mild blush on her cheeks.

"… I would love to form a pair with you, Roth." She finally said.

Did I do it? I couldn't believe it. After all that I didn't think she would accept me. This felt like the greatest victory in my life, even greater than that time Gajeel and I beat up that monster squirrel together on our first team job.

I managed to smile back at her and looked her in the eyes again. The guild hall was filling up with the regular noise and talk again. I felt immensely relieved for getting Erza to pair up with me, but I was unsure on what to do now.

"I need a moment. Please wait for me." I hastily told her, and ran off after she'd given me an understanding nod back. 

* * *

"I knew you could do it, Roth!" Wendy cheered at me as I returned to her table.

"Thanks, Wendy. But I have no idea on how to proceed. Will you please help me?" I asked her with a dead serious look on my face.

"I don't know if I could be of any help to you, Roth. But I'll try my best!" She replied boldly.

"I can help you, if that's what you want." Carla said as she walked up to us on the table. "First off, learn to dress as a gentleman. Have you even looked at yourself, you look like a peasant with those clothes of yours." She said in a rather degrading tone.

"We don't have time for that! The event starts today! What am I supposed to even do?" I asked in desperation.

"From what I've heard, the couples are judged by how cute they look together, and also by the combined use of their magic to create something beautiful." Wendy explained to me.

"What do you think I should do, Wendy? I only shoot lightning!" This was starting to look bad for me. Since Wendy was a girl and more into cute and beautiful things than I'd be, I hoped she might have a suggestion for me.

"Roth. You really should discuss that with Erza. After all, she's the one you're going with." She said without mercy, but she was totally right. I'd better hurry back to Erza to rehearse with her before the event would start. I thanked Wendy for answering and went back to where Erza was at. 

* * *

Just as I had come back to Erza, Gajeel showed up again.

"Well, well. I'm surprised you managed to get a real girl after all." Gajeel openly mocked me. "…But I'll crush you in the competition, geehee~!"

"You will? You do know you need a girl yourself to even partake in the event, right?" I replied, unsure that Gajeel was even aware of this fact, seeing how tipsy he was.

"Dun' worry. I already got my girl, all right. Well, see ya on stage, Lightnin' Boy!" With that, he walked off again.

"Stop calling me that, will you!?" I yelled at his back.

"Come, you. We need to rehearse our performance. I already have ideas." Erza grabbed me by my collar and dragged me away without warning. We sat down on the floor in a room, somewhere behind the stage where the event would soon take place, where Erza had a huge crate with all sorts of colourful suits and strange accessories stored in it that seemed more appropriate for a play than something a pair of lovers would put on. Just what had she in mind?

"So, I was thinking for this competition for you to wear this." She said to me and took an outfit from the crate next to her.

"Wait, aren't these girl's clothes?" I protested when I saw the clothes that looked like a lady's dress that were handed to me.

"Trust me. We'll make this work." Erza said with a face so serious and full of determination I couldn't possibly argue against it. "… Also, wear this mask." She handed me a dragon's head mask. I had a bad feeling about this, but seeing how I didn't have any ideas of my own and we were being short on time, I decided to just go with it and quickly got myself dressed in a separate room.

"You're done yet? It has just been announced the event is about to start, so hurry up!" Erza impatiently asked me from the other side of the door. I was just done changing clothes, so I left the room. Erza stood before me, wearing a fancy costume that made her look like a handsome prince. It seemed the other pairs were also gathered in this room behind the stage. I quickly put on my dragon's mask so people would hopefully not recognise me wearing a girly dress. What was Erza thinking, making me wear these clothes? She was completely out of her mind, yet she looked confident about this.

Max was already on stage, presenting himself as host of the show that was about to start. All of the pairs were standing behind a large, red curtain, next to the stage, where the audience couldn't see them. Still, we would have a pretty good view of the contestants on stage from here.

First up were Bisca and Alzack. They had been a solid couple for as long as I knew. I thought they looked cute together and gave a pretty amazing performance showing off their sharpshooting skills, followed by enthusiastic cheering and clapping from the audience.

As pairs entered the stage and did their magic tricks my confidence in Erza and myself dropped to even lower levels. How were we supposed to compete? We hadn't practised anything, and why had Erza insisted on reversing our genders? 

* * *

"The next couple to show their love for each other: we have… Roth and Erza!" Max shouted with maximum enthusiasm and stepped backwards to make room for us. Erza pushed me in the back, making me stumble onto the stage. She, however, stayed behind the curtain. Initially, there was a loud cheering, but that quickly died down the moment they saw me in my silly costume entering the stage. I felt incredibly nervous, but the mask hiding my face made things a little easier to hide my shakiness from the crowd in front of me.

" _Shoot some lightning bolts!_ " Erza whispered at me.

I did as she told me and channelled some Lightning magic to my hands that I shot at the ceiling.

" _No! From your mouth! Remember, you're the dragon!_ " Erza whispered again.

Really? If I'm the dragon, then why am I wearing this stupid dress? I wanted to shout these thoughts at Erza, but there was no way I could do it whilst standing on stage. I didn't even know how to shoot lightning from my mouth, nor did I intend on going that far with this crazy act.

"Once upon a time, there was a fierce dragon! This dragon ruled over the lands of Voila…" – " _Is that your best attempt at coming up with a name, Erza?_ " I whispered back at her – "… terrorising its inhabitants with lightning and thunder. But one day, the handsome prince of a neighbouring country had enough of this dragon's presence!" Erza narrated this poorly told story as she, herself, finally entered the stage and positioned herself in front of me, with her sword drawn and pointed at me.

"In a spectacular battle to the death, the prince managed to defeat the mighty dragon!" Erza swung her sword at me and I had to jump out of the way to prevent getting sliced into little pieces.

" _Pretend you are got wounded and are about to die._ " Erza whispered.

"Augh!" I shook my body and flailed my arms around in an attempt to look like I got hurt by Erza's flurry of attacks. I felt like a complete idiot doing so, luckily I had this mask on so nobody could see my face. I then dropped myself onto the floor to pretend I was dead.

"But as the dragon was about to draw its last breath, the prince performed an ancient ritual. This dragon was in fact not a real dragon. Knowing this, the prince used the ritual to undo the curse that was laid upon the beautiful princess who had been a dragon all this time!" Erza took the mask off my head and threw it away as she narrated the next part of her story.

"The prince then kissed the princess." She knelt next to me as I still lied on the floor and lowered her head to get closer to me. That was going way too far for my likes – I wasn't ready for this – and rolled myself out of the way of her kiss.

"The prince then took the princess in his hands and carried her to his castle." Ignoring the failed kissing scene, she hit me on the head with her metal gauntlet, almost knocking me unconsciously, and lifted me from the ground.

"They lived happily ever after!" Erza bowed at the audience while still carrying me in her arms, and then walked off the stage. There was no reaction other than complete and utter silence. 

* * *

Behind the stage, Erza put me back on my feet again and had looked like she was pondering about something. Maybe her idea didn't work out as well as she'd hoped, I guessed. However, there was no time for talking as Max announced the next pair to come up on stage, and the crowd was making lots of noise again.

It looked like it was Gajeel and Levy's turn. I wondered if Gajeel was planning on doing any singing. Levy cast Solid Script: Iron in the air, after which Gajeel took it up to him to eat the letters away as if it was nothing. They certainly failed in making a good impression with the crowd, as there was barely any clapping once their act ended. I didn't feel so bad about our performance now. Besides, I wasn't here to win the competition; I just needed to get a higher ranking than Gajeel.

As Max was going to announce the next couple, Natsu jumped onto the stage, dragging Lucy with him. "Gyahaha! It's our turn, Lucy! Let's show 'em!" Natsu shouted with a devilish grin on his face and set his fists ablaze.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. But it really is Gray and Juvia's turn to go now." Max apologised to Natsu, who was already spewing fire from his mouth to impress the audience with.

"Say what!? I thought they'd already had their turn! Why do we have to go last, I can't wait any longer!" He childishly complained to Max.

At that point, Gray entered the stage and froze Natsu in a block of ice and threw him away to make room him and Juvia. Lucy cautiously kind of slid into the background to avoid receiving similar treatment. Natsu thawed himself out of the block of ice and leaped back onto the stage with only one thing on his mind. I knew this was going to end badly, but it'd probably be safe to watch from where I was standing.

Natsu and Gray disappeared in a cloud of dust. Juvia also dived in to support her darling. Since there was a lack of objects to be flung around, the three quickly resorted to the use of magic. And so, it didn't take long before an icicle struck the dish holding the cake Erza was eating while she was watching the show, causing it fall onto the ground. Now they had done it.

Erza went on a merciless rampage, and more people joined the brawl as things were heating up. I took the chance to retreat to safer places and change into my normal clothes again. By the time I came back to see what was going on, half of the guild hall had been torn apart, and mostly everyone lied on the ground, knocked unconsciously. I still couldn't believe how quickly things had escalated, though I was glad this whole competition thing was over. Maybe the big fight at the end would help people forget I ever wore that embarrassing dress. I went home early that day, leaving the repairing and cleaning of the guild hall up to the rest.


	42. Chapter 40 - The Executioner

.

 **CHAPTER 40  
THE EXECUTIONER**

For the past couple of days I'd been haunted by a feeling of dread, though I did not know the cause. It had been getting worse with every passing day, today being the worst so far. To say it was having a negative effect on me would be putting it mildly. I hadn't felt like teaming up for jobs with Gajeel and Wendy, and I spent less and less time hanging out in the guild hall, only going there to fill my stomach. It felt as if I was slowly losing connection with the world around me, my body was just moving on its own, I'd stopped paying attention to my surroundings. I could hear voices of my guildmates around me, but their words didn't seem to reach me. Their faces and figures were turned into blurs; I could hardly even recognise them any longer.

My thoughts were a vortex of chaos, and it felt like they had sunk into some dark abyss from which they couldn't escape. I had trouble concentrating on anything but the simplest of tasks. What was I still doing? Why was I still alive? I saw two vague figures sitting in front of me, although I could not tell who they were or what they were trying to say to me. The sound of their voices was making my head ache; I had to get out of here. That was the only thing I could think of right now.

Get out of here… I needed to go someplace quiet.

My body was moving on its own, dragging me outside. I didn't know where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get away from the guild and the people that were talking to me. The world around me was nothing more but a blur of shadows and vague contours of buildings along the streets and alleys I found myself walking through. There was no one here. Quiet… good… 

* * *

The feeling of dread suddenly returned again, stronger than ever. Was I going to die here? I didn't know why that thought was going through my head, but it kept on coming back. I wanted to move my body, but it would not react. I was completely frozen in place. Everything around me seemed turned into darkness… was it night time? Even my sense of time was completely gone.

I could hear loud, heavy footsteps, metal on stone, drawing closer. The sound was clearer than anything I'd heard for the past couple of days. Almost as if it was meant to wake me up from my lifeless state. I looked up and found myself standing in an alleyway, my sight still blurry but not as bad as before. Before me I could see a large figure standing. A big and tall man, completely clad in some kind of dark metal armour, carrying a large, metal wheel on its back… what did he want from me? I could see him moving his hands and creating a magic circle. The buildings to my sides vanished into darkness; it was as if we were sent to a separate world, not like anything I'd ever seen before.

I felt my senses slowly returning to me as the two of us were hurled into this otherworldly dimension. Around us were nothing but shapeless shadows. There were dark clouds drifting in the space beneath me. Below that there was nothing but a bottomless abyss, yet it didn't appear as if we were falling. Even though I was unable to feel nor see the ground on which I was standing. I had no idea what was happening to me. Why were we here?

"Erase."

The tall figure in full metal armour spoke, and took the large wheel off its back. The wheel was even bigger as the man wielding it, and despite it looking incredibly heavy, he seemed to have no problem holding it up with one arm. With a stretched arm, he held the wheel vertically in front of him aimed at me. I felt a tremendous amount of magic energy spiralling through its crooked spokes, towards the centre of the wheel where the man was holding it. I realised I had to get away somehow, but my body still wasn't reacting.

Cracks began to appear in the world around us, revealing light coming from the other side. The man charging magic glanced up at the breaches in the sky; he immediately cancelled his current spell and began to cast another one. At that point, the world shattered to pieces, and I found myself standing in the alleyway from earlier again, my senses completely returning to me again. I saw a tall, middle-aged man standing right next to me… Gildarts? He'd returned to the guild weeks ago, but I'd barely seen him at all. The only thing I knew about him was that he was supposedly Fairy Tail's strongest wizard.

I looked in front of me just in time to see the armoured man completely disappearing in a cloud of shadows. My body felt strangely weakened, and my eyes had trouble adjusting to the sunlight.

"I don't know what you have done to have a man like him come after you, but let's save the talk for later. Come, I'll bring you to the guild's infirmary." Gildarts said to me. I weakly nodded and let him support me on our way back. After having my senses dulled for several days straight, having my senses returned to me again felt strange. All I saw seemed so bright; all the noises I heard were so loud. I wondered if I had even been sleeping these past few days… I felt so very sleepy all of a sudden. 

* * *

I woke up lying on a soft bed in the infirmary. Gajeel and Wendy were both standing nearby, looking relieved at me having woken up.

"Roth!" Wendy exclaimed ecstatically.

"You. You have a lot of explaining to do!" Gajeel said to me with a harsh tone, but I could see a slight smile showing on his face.

"I'd love to talk with you, Roth. But Gildarts said he had things he wanted to ask you as soon as you'd wake up." Wendy told me. "Please wait for a moment, I'll call him." And she ran off. Gajeel stood there quietly as we waited for Wendy to return with Gildarts. There were a lot of things I wanted to ask my teammates, but I figured it would be best to wait until after my talk with Gildarts.

Once Wendy and Gildarts came back, Gildarts asked the two to leave me and him alone for a while. After they both left the room, Gildarts came sitting on the bed next to me. He looked at me as though he was examining me.

"How are you feeling, Roth? Do you think you'll be able to talk with me for a while?" Gildarts asked me. He showed little expression. I silently nodded in response.

"I've been told you arrived here at Fairy Tail some months ago, and that you have no memory of who you previously were. Is that correct?"

"It is." I plainly answered.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to help you recover your memories. But seeing how you were the target of The Executioner, I can safely tell you that regardless of who you were in the past, it can't have been anything pretty."

"The Executioner… that armoured man?"

"His name is Ekstramma. While not much is known about him, he is without doubt on a level that rivals mine. Taking him out was one of my first S-rank requests, many years ago, and it was the first time I failed to succeed in completing a job. He's known as the Executioner to most people, but his main task is keeping the location of their guild a secret."

"What could have been the reason he was after me?" I inquired, wanting to know more.

"Being his target can only mean two things: they suspect you to know where their guild is located. Or you used to have connections with them and they no longer have a need for you. Putting the pieces together of the information I have about you, I get the idea it would seem you were supposed to be dead long ago. However, how you ended up in Magnolia, and why it took them this long to find out is unknown to me."

"Then, what exactly what kind of guild are we talking about? Are they a Dark Guild, like the Oración Seis?"

"Their guild is called the Blazing Phoenix. As they have no allies or smaller sub-guilds, they're known as an independent guild. Very little of their activities or intentions is known to outsiders, as they work in utmost secrecy. That's about as much as I can tell you about them."

"So, you're telling me I was likely to be a member of this guild before?" I still found it hard to believe, but from the information he'd given me, it seemed that was likely to be the truth.

"Exactly."

"What do you suggest I do now? Will I be the target of The Executioner again?"

"There certainly is the chance. However, as long as you're with Fairy Tail, we'll be there to protect you. I already suspected you were being followed by him, going by the unusual behaviour you've shown in the past couple of days, but I needed to confirm it truly was him who was after you. The Mark of the Executioner is a powerful curse spell that makes its target sink into darkness and despair. It's an effective way of softening up targets, making them unlikely to be able to defend themselves once the assassin himself shows up to finish them."

I really didn't know what more to say or ask; there were a lot of things I needed to think about. I was grateful he'd saved me from being murdered, as well as giving me all this information that could very well be related to uncovering my past. I thanked him for everything he'd done for me. 

* * *

After Gildarts left my room, Wendy and Gajeel returned to me again. I told them everything Gildarts had told me. About The Executioner, the Blazing Phoenix guild, and how I might have been a former member of the guild. It seemed neither of the two had heard of this guild before, but I could see a worried look on Wendy's face.

"I hope I wasn't mean or bad to any of you during the days before this." I said with honesty. I could not recall what had happened. My memory of the past few days was a complete haze.

"Don't worry about it. We knew you weren't being yourself… But you made Gajeel and I worry a lot." Wendy said with a rather soft voice. Gajeel remained quiet, probably not wanting to openly admit doing so.

"I'm sorry."

"Mirajane told us you needed to rest at least until tomorrow morning before you'd be allowed to leave the infirmary again. It's getting late already, so we'll let you sleep and hope you'll be feeling well again tomorrow." She told me, and after that, the two left the room. I sighed and lied down on the bed again. My head was full with thoughts about everything Gildarts had told me about today. Just what was the reason The Executioner had been after me? Would he come back to finish the job? There were so many questions I'd like to have answers to…

Despite my head being full with thoughts, I had no trouble falling asleep that night.


	43. Chapter 41 - S-Class Wizard Selection

.

 **CHAPTER 41  
S-CLASS WIZARD SELECTION**

It had taken almost a week for me to fully recover from my weakened state since my encounter with the armoured assassin, Blazing Phoenix's gate guardian, Ekstramma. Even Wendy's healing magic had proven to be ineffective to help speed up the process. I'd been advised by both Mirajane and Gildarts to take it easy until I'd recovered from the curse, so I had spent most of my time at home, reading books I'd loaned at the library. Today was the first day where I felt completely healthy and strong again. I stretched my arms and legs after getting out of bed. I kind of didn't feel like doing training. A whole week without doing any training had made me lazy, but one more day without it wouldn't hurt, I thought to myself.

After washing myself and getting dressed, I went to the guild hall, hoping to maybe take up a job with the team again. Wendy had visited me a few times while I was resting at home this week, and had told me of the jobs she'd been doing together with Gajeel, and even of a few she did with Team Natsu. It seemed everybody's been working hard… harder than usually even, now that I thought about it. Maybe my absence was having a good effect on my guildmates? 

* * *

As I entered the guild hall, I saw a crowd gathering before an empty podium. There was a sense of tension and excitement in the air amongst the people who were there. Was there going to be a performance, I wondered. I joined the backlines of the crowd to see what was going on.

At that time, the curtain was raised and revealed guild master Makarov, along with Erza, Mirajane and Gildarts standing on the stage. There was cheering in the crowd and I caught chattering about some kind of announcement. When the noise in the guild hall finally died down again, the guild master looked like he was finally going to speak.

"In accordance with Fairy Tail's time-honoured tradition, I will now announce this year's entrants for the S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial!"

Again, the entire guild hall boomed with a thunderous applause and loud cheering from everyone. What was this S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial, and why was I not told about it, I thought to myself as I stood quietly in the back, still unsure what this was all about.

"The trial this year will take place on Tenrou Island, our guild's sacred ground!" The guild master revealed, and was followed by an intrigued "Ohh!" from the crowd.

"Your strength! Your hearts! Your spirits! I've spent the last year ascertaining them all. And I've chosen eight participants!" He continued. "Natsu Dragneel! Gray Fullbuster! …" He followed up right away with the names of who he had selected.

"… Roth! …"

My name was amongst those chosen to go? There was clapping from the crowd, and some members nearby me congratulated me for making it on the list. It all came so suddenly and out of nowhere that I wasn't sure how to feel. Besides, I still didn't even know what this trial thing was supposed to be about.

After all the selected members had been named, instructions followed. Apparently only of the participants was going to be able to successfully pass the trial, and would take place in one week's time. Furthermore, each participant would be allowed to choose one partner to take with them. With the announcement over, I grabbed some breakfast at the abandoned bar, and then went to my team's table that was completely empty. I watched the excited crowd, most of them still standing before the podium. It seemed this S-Class thing was a pretty big deal to the guild. 

* * *

"Urgh, to think you were chosen over me." A disgruntled Gajeel muttered to himself as he joined me at our table once the initial excitement of the announcement began to die down a little, and people were slowly getting back to their seats again.

"I'm sorry, but what is this all about?" I asked him.

"You don't know, Roth?" Wendy showed up behind me. "… I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about it during the times I visited you…"

"It's fine. But since I've been chosen to partake in it I'd like to hear more about it." I really didn't blame her at all for not telling me sooner.

"You know about our job requests, and how they're ranked from F to A? Well, there are also S-rank requests, which are super tough and only those with S-rank are allowed to take them. Being an S-rank wizard means you become one of Fairy Tail's elite wizards!" Wendy enthusiastically explained to me.

I see. So that's how it worked. It did seem a little strange why Gajeel wasn't chosen, but instead it was me who was picked to go… I didn't consider myself stronger than Gajeel at all. He was still levels above me, as well as of some of the others who were chosen for the trial. Considering Gajeel's a Dragon Slayer and one of the strongest in the guild, you'd think he would be an obvious pick for the selection, but there were probably other factors taken in consideration…

"Is something bothering you, Roth?" Wendy asked me, looking slightly concerned. "You have that serious look on your face… You know, I'm really happy you are one of those selected to participate in the S-class trial!" She said cheerfully.

"No, I was just thinking." I quickly replied. "Anyway, this means I need to get a partner to come with me, right?" I looked at Gajeel as I said that, but he refused to look back. Instead he got up from our table and walked off. Was he upset he didn't get chosen for the trial, or was it something else that was bothering him? I'll have a talk with him later.

I did a need partner for the trial, though. I considered Wendy for a moment. I knew she wouldn't hesitate to come with me… she's still so young, though. Taking her on some trial designed for wizards to get promoted to the highest rank in the guild might be a bit much to ask of her, and her cat companion probably wouldn't approve of it anyway. With both my teammates out of the picture, I thought of who else I could ask. Most of the members I knew were either chosen to participate, or most likely to be picked as partners by the others already. 

* * *

I then saw Juvia standing all alone behind some pillar with a gloomy look on her face as she stared at Gray, who seemed to be having a good time at the table of Team Natsu. Juvia was certainly strong, perhaps one of the strongest in the guild. I'll try asking her, I thought, and got up and approached her.

"Yo, Juvia. What are you so glum about?" I asked her, trying to show a friendly smile in the hopes I could maybe cheer her up a bit.

"My… my darling, Gray. He rejected Juvia's offer to pair up with her!" She wailed, her voice filled with intense sorrow. "He chose to go with that Loke guy instead! How is Juvia supposed to survive the time without her love in the guild hall?"

"What do you say about coming with me, then? You'll still get to see Gray that way." I calmly suggested. Juvia got a blank stare on her face as I said that.

"Really? You'll take Juvia with you to Tenrou Island, so she can still be with her dear Gray?" She looked at me with starry eyes as if I just promised her eternal happiness. Seriously, what's wrong with this girl, I thought as I took a step back to keep her a bit at distance.

"It means you'll have to help me win the S-class trial, though." I replied with a serious look on my face, and also to remind her that it wasn't just going to be a vacation trip. "I need you to do your best, got that?"

Juvia seemed to understand what I meant and nodded.

"I also want to spend the coming week training in preparation for the trial and you're coming with me if you agree to be my partner." I continued.

"J–Juvia… agrees." She said with some hesitation and looked down at the floor. It looked like she didn't really want to, but at the same time she realised it might be her only chance to stay close to Gray during the trial by helping me out.

"Great. Let's start tomorrow morning, then." I said cheerfully, and left her again to return to my team's table. Gajeel was still gone, but Wendy looked at me with a smile as I came back. 

* * *

"You picked your partner, Roth?" She immediately asked me with some excitement in her voice.

"Juvia agreed to come with me. Will you be okay if you end up being the only of us three staying behind?" I asked her. It would surprise me if Gajeel wasn't going to be picked as partner by one of the others, and I couldn't really imagine any of the participants was going to choose a twelve year old to be their partner for the S-rank trial, meaning she'd be without her teammates for the duration of the event.

"Don't worry about me. I'll still have Carla at my side, and I doubt she'd want me to go." She replied, and looked at her companion, who smiled back at her. "I promise I'll work on becoming stronger in the time you two are away." She too had already, and rightfully so, assumed Gajeel was going to be picked as one of the participant's partners. "Well, I'll be off, then. I'll have some preparations to make for this week's training with Juvia." I told her, and then went on my way back home.


	44. Chapter 42 - Drip Drop

.

 **CHAPTER 42  
DRIP DROP**

The next morning, at the guild hall; I was waiting for Juvia to get here. I'd told her to meet up with me today, so I was expecting her to show up any moment now. Neither Gajeel nor Wendy nor most other members who usually were here in the mornings were present this time. I guessed most of them were probably busy training with their partners to prepare for the upcoming trial.

Almost an hour had passed since I'd been here, waiting for her, when she finally came. She looked a little sleepy, and didn't show much enthusiasm as she approached me. Well, it was too late to go back on my partner choice now, I thought to myself. I'd just have to find a way to motivate her somehow.

"What took you so long?" I asked, a little annoyed at her "I've been waiting here for ages."

"Sorry… Juvia was tired from yesterday. But she's ready now." By the way she apologised, she kind of sounded like she meant it, and so I could forgive her for it.

"Well, that's fine. Go get some breakfast, after that we'll be leaving."

"What are we doing? You need Juvia to become stronger?" She asked me after she got a piece of bread at the bar in the guild hall.

"Naturally. It would be pretty safe to assume this trial is going to involve our use of magic powers in some way or another, including combat. So, that's something I want us to work on." I told her as we left the guild building. I already had a training spot in mind. 

* * *

The weather was already preparing for the winter that would come later this month, light snow was falling down and temperatures were just below freezing point. Luckily I'd brought a warm cloak and wore gloves to keep my fingers from getting cold. Juvia wore her usual attire, pretty well-suited for this cold weather.

I would've loved to go to the place in the forest where Levy had unlocked the seal on my magic for our training session today, but I was getting cold already, so the fields just outside of the city had to do. It would be unlikely for us to cause collateral damage here, even if we'd go overboard a little. I stopped and turned at Juvia.

"First thing I'd like to do is test your skill in combat." I casually said to her, and took off my gloves and cloak.

"Combat? You want to fight Juvia?" She looked surprised at me.

"Prequip: Lightning Battler!" I cast Prequip onto myself and took a combat stance as my answer.

"…Very well. Juvia will show you." She said as she stared back at me, showing no emotion.

While I knew Juvia was strong, I honestly didn't know much about her techniques, apart from the fact she was an expert at Water magic. The only times I'd seen her in action were during the Oración Seis operation, but that hardly involved any serious combat. It would certainly be interesting to test myself against her.

Her stance didn't give away much information. She looked somewhat relaxed, yet I could tell she was channelling magic. It looked like she was observing me as well… looking for an opening perhaps? I channelled my flow of magic to my hands as we stood there before starting the battle. I'd let her make the first move, after all, this was meant for her to show me what she could do.

She then slowly lifted an arm and aimed her palm at me. "Water Slicer." She calmly casted the spell. A blade of water appeared out of the spell circle she created and was sent flying at me. I dodged the first one, but then she sent several more at me. I could get out of the way of most of them, though I had to block or deflect the last one. I swung my sword at the water blade coming at me, but as it came into contact, it sliced straight through my sword, cleanly cutting off the top half of the blade. I was forced to Lightning Step away at that moment to avoid getting hit. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my Lightning Edge broken in two; this was the first time this had happened. I threw the broken sword with the blade into the ground and quickly recast a new copy.

I certainly had underestimated the power of Juvia's Water magic. It was time for a counterattack. Let's see how well she can defend herself against me. I charged at her and swung my sword directly at her, yet she was not moving out of the way. The blade went straight through her body, but there was still no reaction from her. Why didn't she move?

"Juvia's body is made of water. Yes… physical attacks have no effect on Juvia." She calmly explained to me. I retracted my blade and took a few steps back. Attacking her using my weapon would not work in that case, though Lightning magic should still be effective against her.

"Lightning Shock!" I launched a bolt of lightning from my sword, however Juvia nimbly dodged it. She re-appeared behind me, much faster than I'd anticipated. I turned around, but she had already finished casting a spell at me.

"Water Lock!" In an instant I was caught inside a mass of water. I attempted to swim in order to escape, but for some reason I had trouble moving my limbs at all. Just what was this spell she used on me? With my initial moment of panicking I'd wasted a good amount of oxygen; I wouldn't be able to last much longer at this rate. I'd have to think of something and fast. I forced myself to concentrate on my flow of magic, which was difficult in a situation like this, but at least it wasn't restricted like my body was. "Photon Shield!" A small, yet concentrated bubble of electric particles formed itself around me as I cast the spell. I then immediately detonated the shield, making it explode inside Juvia's Water Lock. The shockwaves created by the blast of my Photon Shield dispersed the water surrounding me, freeing me from my prison.

I fell down on my knees, panting and coughing. With my clothes all wet, the cold was really getting to me now, not to mention it was going to slow down my movements. I'd have to finish this fast if I didn't want to lose to Juvia in this sparring match. Juvia looked somewhat shocked after I'd broken myself free from her Water Lock; this would be my chance.

I Lightning Stepped straight at her, and drove my blade through her chest. She merely stood there.

"Remember? Juvia is unaffected by physic–" She dryly reminded me, but I wouldn't let her finish. I already knew what she was going to say.

"Then, what about this!?" I shouted, and charged my blade with electricity. "Teslas Blade!" The sparks from the blade directly entered her body. Even if her water body wouldn't conduct electricity, this should still hurt. Some seconds later, I ceased my spell and took out the sword again. Juvia collapsed onto the ground… was she unconscious? Did I go overboard with my technique against her? 

* * *

Gah! This isn't the time to black out, Juvia! I desperately shook her lifeless body, but there was no response. Still drenched by Juvia's technique from earlier, freezing gusts of wind struck me at full force. A minute or so later, Juvia finally opened her eyes.

"J–J–Juvia! Y–Y–You're f–f–finally awake!" I shouted with chattering teeth. "...Th–Th–Then, we can finally go back to the guild hall! L–L–Let's hurry!" I offered her my hand to help her get up.

"Juvia was taken by surprise by your technique…" She said as she took my hand and got back up on her feet. She shook off the snow from her coat.

"Th–Th–That's not important right now! T–T–Training is suspended!" I grabbed her by her arm and dragged her with me back to Magnolia.

When we finally got back to the guild hall, my whole body was totally numb of the cold. It was so warm in here, it was like I'd arrived in heaven.

"My! What happened to you, Roth!" Mirajane had noticed our return, since most of the other members were out training for the trial, there wasn't much for her to do in the guild hall. She rushed to my side with a worried look on her face. "You're not looking great either, Juvia. Just what have you two been doing?"

"I–I'll explain… later." I said, still suffering from chattering teeth. "J–Just give me… more warmth."

Mirajane ran off and quickly returned, holding two orange crystals in her hands.

"Here… heating lacrimas, powered by our resident Dragon Slayer and fire wizard, Natsu!" She handed us one crystal each. "Just hold them, and they'll warm you up!"

As soon as I took hold of the lacrima, a wave of intense warmth went through my entire body… it felt so good! I looked at my fingers, holding the lacrima. They were all purple and blue-ish from the cold, though it only took minutes for them restore to a healthy pink and red again. My clothes were dry in no-time as well. I need one of these for myself, I thought to myself, as I continued to savour the heavenly warmth from the lacrima.

Needless to say, we didn't get much done the rest of today. I let Juvia return to her home early, and I spent the rest of the day in the guild hall with the heating lacrima in my hands until its effects eventually started to dwindle. Well, tomorrow would be another day; I still had lots in store for the two of us.


	45. Chapter 43 - Tenrou Island

.

 **CHAPTER 43  
TENROU ISLAND**

I didn't know why I hadn't asked anyone before we would be leaving to Tenrou Island, but I actually had no idea how long we'd be staying there… days, weeks? I left a note on the door for my landlord in case I'd come back late, since I'd have to pay rent again next week. Let's hope we'll be back before then, I thought to myself as I left my house and made my way to train station to take the train to Hargeon.

It had been a busy week for me. The training schedule I set up for myself and Juvia had been pretty intense, though we had refrained from doing any more sparring matches against each other after that first one. Yesterday we took the whole day off to give ourselves time to recover and rest, so we'd be in good shape for what would be to come during the trial. I felt I had been able to improve my abilities and techniques quite a bit during that one week of training.

* * *

It seemed I wasn't the only one taking this train. A number of the other S-class candidates with their partners were there, including Natsu, who didn't look too happy about travelling by train. I was guessing the ones who weren't here probably got to Hargeon using a different way of transportation or went there with an earlier train. All of the Fairy Tail members joined the same wagon, with so many familiar faces around, it almost felt like we were in a miniature version of the guild hall, yet there was also a sense of rivalry amongst the different pairs. After all, we'd probably be partaking in highly competitive tasks against each other.

"If the upcoming trial involves fighting against the other pairs, which would we have the best chances against, you think?" I asked Juvia, who sat opposite of me.

"Hm…" Juvia went in thought for a moment. "Juvia hopes she'll get to face Gray. Oh! She wonders what her dear would do to her…~" She already began usual Gray talk. I shouldn't have expected anything better. Hoping to have a normal conversation with her was like hoping for a day that wouldn't freeze my fingers off during this time of the year.

"Look, I don't care whether we face Gray, but if we do, you better do your best for me!" I had to be strict to her. I wouldn't allow her to sabotage my chance to become an S-class Fairy Tail wizard just because she happens to have a soft spot for Gray.

"Juvia will try." She replied curtly.

"Can you tell me more about Gajeel." I asked her after a moment of silence between us. "Since you were in the same guild with him before you joined Fairy Tail, do you know any weaknesses he might have?" Gajeel would for sure be one of the toughest opponents if we were to face him. I would have added Natsu to that list, but with just Happy as his partner, I'd think Juvia and I should be able to take him on.

"Juvia believes you know more about him than Juvia does." She answered without showing emotion.

"How's that possible!? I barely even know him!" I shouted back at her in surprise. It was true, though. I didn't know that much about Gajeel, despite having been in a team with him for quite some time now. We actually never talked very much… mostly because he tended to not be very talkative with me most of the time. I'd fought him only once and knew most of his basic techniques, but he was still so powerful. I'd hoped Juvia might have known something about a secret weakness or vulnerability of his that we could take advantage of during the trial.

We both spent the rest of the time staring outside until the train finally arrived at the Hargeon train station. Everyone got out, except Natsu, who went for a ride back to Magnolia. I almost felt sorry for the guy, but then I remembered he was going to be one of our rivals during the trial. Well, we'd probably have to wait for him to arrive, anyway…

We were greeted by a bunch of Fairy Tail members as we arrived at the port. It looked most of us had gathered here already, and that we'd be able to set sail to Tenrou Island soon, at least once Natsu would make it back here. I was getting the idea Juvia and I were the only ones way overdressed for this trip, still wearing our winter clothes, when I saw all the others being dressed pretty lightly. It was a sunny morning and much warmer than you'd think it would be this close to winter.

* * *

Once Natsu finally appeared, carried by a winged Happy, and boarded the ship, we were ready to leave the harbour. I finally learned who the other pairs were for the upcoming trial. Totally not to my surprise, Gajeel was with Levy. The one I was surprised to see, however, was Wendy. I hadn't really spoken with her for the last week, and had no idea one of the participants for the trial had picked her as partner. A guy named Mest apparently had, although my memory about him seemed fuzzy and incomplete. I believed he'd been a member of Fairy Tail for about a year now and had also partaken in the previous S-Class Wizard Trial, but other than that I didn't really know anything about him. He looked friendly, though, so it would probably be okay.

I also hadn't expected to see Lucy here, since she never seemed that much of a fighter, but it looked like Cana had trusted her to come as her partner for the trial.

As we left the port of Hargeon behind us, and soon saw nothing but the blue of the sea and sky all around us, the weather was getting hot to ridiculous degrees, forcing me to take off my winter cloak. Even with just my regular clothes on it was getting almost unbearable and I was sweating like crazy. It seemed the others weren't exactly enjoying themselves either in these extremely hot temperatures, either. Natsu had it twice as bad as the rest of us, since he was suffering from his usual motion sickness as well and Wendy was unwilling to use her support magic on him this time. According to Cana, the currents around here cause the weather to last year-round, which would explain the hotness.

"Yo, Gray. Why don't you Ice Make us some giant ice cubes?" I asked him, in the hope he'd actually do it. Though even with all of his clothes off, it seemed like he couldn't take the heat any longer, and didn't even bother responding to my request.

With no motivation to do anything at all in this hot weather, I spent my time standing in the shadow of the ship's main mast where it was just a little cooler.

After what seemed hours, Tenrou Island came finally in sight. Finally, we'd be able to leave soon and maybe find someplace to cool off in the shadows of whatever would be on the island. The island appeared to have a huge tree on it, with another island on top of it. What kind of place was this, I wondered. Everyone seemed reinvigorated a little with the ship so close to its destination.

* * *

"It used to be said that fairies once existed on that island." The guild master spoke to us as he made his appearance. "And it is where Mavis Vermilion, Fairy Tail's first master, rests."

We all gathered before him and waited in silence to hear what the guild master would have to say next. I hoped we would get more information about what this trial actually involved.

"I will now reveal the first round of the trial." The guild master announced, and then proceeded to provide us with the details of what the first trial would entail. On the island there is a cave system with multiple entrances, and each route could only be taken by one pair. Along each route there would be a different kind of challenge. Three of the routes would have a fight against one of the Fairy Tail's S-class wizards, Erza, Mirajane or Gildarts. Two of the routes would come together with one other route where two teams would have to battle each other. Then there was one route that provided a free pass to the next round.

Then the best outcome in this case would be to ones to take the one route that didn't involve combat, assuming it wouldn't involve some other kind of difficult test. The worst would probably be to face an S-class wizard. I knew Erza was incredibly strong, and there was no doubt Mirajane and Gildarts were at least just as powerful. That actually made me wonder what kind of magic Mirajane used. She always looked so nice and friendly; it was hard to imagine her being a wizard of the same level as Erza.

"Only the teams that get through here will pass the first round of the test!" The guild master said as he finished his explanation. "Now get started! Let the trial begin!"

"Huh?" Gray responded. "But we're in the middle of the ocean…"

Then, that meant we had to go swimming?


	46. Chapter 44 - Titania

.

 **CHAPTER 44  
TITANIA**

"You know what that means, Happy!" Natsu said happily to his companion.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy responded without hesitating, and with that, they flew off the ship.

"Whoa! That ain't fair!" Gray complained.

The others looked in envy as Natsu used Happy to fly his way to the island. However, Natsu's plan didn't exactly go as he'd hoped when they crashed into an invisible magic barrier, not seconds after taking off. I recognised that barrier; it was similar to the ones used during the Battle of Fairy Tail. That could only mean one thing: Freed! My guess was right when I saw Freed and his partner, Bixlow flying off using their own types of magic, straight through the magic barrier that had stopped Natsu and Happy in their tracks.

"Fear not. It's set to disappear in five minutes." Freed informed us with a self-satisfied smile as he left us behind on the ship, trapped within his barrier.

"Freed! Why, you…!" The others shouted at him angrily.

Well, it honestly wasn't that bad, I thought. The trial wasn't time bound, and they still would have to blindly pick one of the cave entrances. Getting there first wouldn't actually increase their chances at getting the best one out of the way.

The others weren't happy with just sitting around, though. Levy was already working on a counter-spell to remove Freed's barrier. As we were about to cheer on Levy, she revealed her counter would only work for her and Gajeel, and together the two jumped off the ship to begin swimming toward the island.

"What!?" The remaining members all yelled in unison. And Levy always was such a sweet girl, how could she do this to the rest of us?

Evergreen, being part of Freed's team in the guild, also seemed to be able to rewrite his enchantments, and made an opening for her and Elfman to escape. The others didn't even seem to notice, as they were still mad at Levy. We still had four more minutes to wait before the barrier would be lifted… And so, we waited. 

* * *

Minutes later, the effects of the barrier finally faded away.

"It's gone!"

"Let's go!" I shouted and gestured at Juvia to come. I dived into the cool water, which felt great after being in the heat all that time. While still underwater, I suddenly felt myself being surrounded by magic. A bubble appeared around me, somehow letting me breathe. Not only that, but it also made me swim much faster than I'd normally be able to do. Juvia showed up next to me, surrounded by a similar bubble as mine. Her magic worked pretty effectively while we were underwater; swimming to the island would be an easy task thanks to her. I almost felt sad for leaving the water once we reached the beach. I finally got to know what it felt like being a fish, and it was pretty awesome.

I wrung out my drenched shirt as we walked the path leading to the cave system where the first round would be held. My clothes being all wet didn't actually matter that much, with the hot weather they should be dry again in no time.

"A, B and F… Three routes already taken." Juvia stated as she examined the entrances that were marked with a big red cross.

"Well, we still got plenty of choice left. Let's go with route D?" I suggested, without any specific reason.

Juvia silently followed as we entered the cave entrance. For a cave it wasn't particularly dark, at least not dark enough that we would need a light to find our way. The ground and walls were decorated with plant-like organisms that you'd expect to see in an underwater environment. These caves probably flooded from time to time, explaining the unique flora and dampness and the strong smell of salt.

We wandered around for quite a while, until we entered some man-made tunnel. This area felt out of place with the rest of the cave, I was getting the feeling we would probably be facing our opponent somewhere in this tunnel. I just prayed our opponent wouldn't be Erza, or else we'd be dead. 

* * *

My feeling didn't prove to be wrong, as our opponent became visible, standing in the middle of the tunnel structure. Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered… our route just so happened to have led us to Erza.

"Oh, ho! If it isn't Roth. You were one of the S-class candidates I was hoping to go up against." Erza said with a sinister smile. Way too sinister for my liking, but this was no time to chicken out.

"Is that so? Why's that?" I asked out of curiosity, and also to stall a little time to give myself time to recover from my shock.

"I'll let my blade answer that for you." With those words she materialised a sword in her hands and prepared herself for combat.

"If that's how you want to play it, fine by me. Juvia… you're ready?" I asked Juvia, who stood somewhat behind me. She merely nodded, but I could feel her concentrating her flow of magic. Prequipping myself with Lightning Battler armour and the Lightning Edge, I, too, was ready to fight.

I silently stared at Erza, standing there in her signature armour, holding her sword in one hand. Her stance was relaxed, yet it looked like she was ready to move at any moment. I searched for a potential opening in her guard, but there was none. Without even seemingly trying she had already covered any and all vulnerable spots she might have. She truly was talented… frighteningly so.

I blinked with my eyes and right then, Erza charged at me. Despite wearing all that armour, she was fast. I barely had enough time to react, but I managed to parry her first strike. She followed it up with several more slashes, all of which I was able to block. I hadn't been sitting still these past few weeks. Training my swordplay had been high up on my priorities list, and it looked like the results were paying off. I caught a glance of surprise in Erza's eyes as I successfully parried her sequence of attacks at me.

Before I got the chance to counterattack, Juvia launched several Water Slicers at Erza, but she nimbly dodged all of them as she hopped back, away from us. "Requip: Sea Empress Armour!" Erza's armour changed… could this be to resist Juvia's water based magic, I wondered. Juvia cast several more Water Slicers at Erza, but she deflected them with ease using her new sword. With Juvia's Water magic getting negated by Erza's equipment it wasn't looking good for us. It would mean I'd have to take her on by my own.

I leaped at her, ready to take her on in a close combat fight. Erza saw right through my moves and seemed to have no trouble blocking my attacks.

"I know you can do better than this, Roth. You can't win using your sword only." She smiled at me.

I realised that, but I also knew she possessed armour that could resist most of my magic… what if she switched to that during combat? I wouldn't stand a chance against her. Although in that case, she wouldn't be able to block Juvia's magic as easily anymore. I wasn't sure how we were supposed to beat Erza, but at this point I only had one idea in mind.

"Advanced Lightning Technique! Echoing Thunder!" I shouted the name of my spell, and in that very instant I Lightning Stepped through Erza, stunning her for a whole second with a strike of my sword. Just enough time to Lightning Step back at her and repeated the same move over again. Erza was completely taken by surprise by my sudden use of my finishing move. Now that she was caught up in my combo attack I kept on stunning her with every strike, as I went back and forth, Lightning Stepping through her, not giving her a chance to recover before I'd finish my technique. I gathered a large amount of magic for the finishing step that should hopefully be enough to weaken her sufficiently that we might be able to win this fight. My final strike triggered a huge explosion at my target's location, making the whole tunnel shake. 

* * *

"I… I am impressed." Erza spoke softly as she emerged from the cloud of dust, created by the explosion. It looked like that attack of mine had been effective. There were large cracks all over her armour, and her body was covered in bruises and scrapes.

However, you shouldn't have angered me!" She shouted fiercely. As the broken armour fell apart, she Requipped herself with a new set of gear. "I'll fight you serious this time. Prepare yourself!"

No way, she still had this much power in her after my finisher move? I hadn't spent all of my magic just in case, but with a large portion of my power gone I didn't think I'd be able to hold out long against her. Regardless, I had to try. And with her Sea Empress Armour out of the way, at least Juvia would be able to assist me in battle again.

Juvia had realised the same thing and got back into battle using Water Whip. Completely ignoring her attacks, Erza charged at Juvia, not even bothering blocking nor dodging her whip. The sword she was wielding was enormous and looked like it should weigh a ton, yet she was wielding it with such grace. In a last, desperate attempt to defend herself, Juvia cast Water Lock onto Erza, imprisoning her inside a large water bubble..

I knew it would be up to me to try to finish it off now. I gathered all the magic I had left in me and prepared myself for a final move. I could see Erza looking at me from her helpless situation. She knew what I was going to do.

I threw my blade at Erza with full force. A flash of white light appeared when it entered the Water Lock, but a loud metal sound confirmed it had struck her armour. "Teslas Blade!" Sparks of lightning flew all over the place as my spell went off and caused Juvia's Water Lock to explode. I grabbed every bit of magic I had inside of me and threw it at my sword in the hopes it would be enough to finish off Erza with.

"That's enough." Erza's voice could be heard amongst the raging storm of lightning at her location. I didn't think it was enough; it wasn't nearly enough if she could still talk after that. I continued to channel forth magic until I felt my connection break after the sound of metal cracking. She broke my sword?

With the blinding light of the sparks gone, I saw Erza standing there, wearing yet again different armour. Lightning Empress Armour… When did she even have the time to cast that? It couldn't have been the moment my sword pierced the Water Lock?

In a flash so fast I could barely follow her movement, she appeared behind Juvia, knocking her in the back with her Spear of Lightning. Before I could get the chance to react, she then appeared in front of me and kicked me in the stomach with such force I collapsed on the ground before her. There was no way I could stand up against this… monster. How could she be this strong? How could the difference between us be this big… So, this was the true power of an S-class wizard… 

* * *

"You two finally recovered?" Erza calmly asked us, sitting on a chunk of debris in the middle of the tunnel. I slowly got up, my body still aching from the fight.

"Seeing how you actually managed to hurt me, and break one of my stronger armour sets, I'd be willing to let you pass the first –" Erza said with her eyes closed.

"No…"

She looked at me when I interrupted her talking.

"I won't be satisfied until I beat you. Passing this test only thanks to your goodwill, knowing full well I'm still way behind you, isn't something I can accept." I said decisively.

"Heh. In that case I shall respect your decision." Erza stood up, knowing there was no point in arguing with me about it. "You're free to return to the main land if you wish, or stay to watch the rest of the trial. Anyway, I'm going to get some lunch at the base camp." With those words she walked away.

"You're coming, Juvia?" I asked her before realising it was a stupid question. Of course she would stay on the island while Gray was still here.

"Juvia is sorry for failing you." She timidly apologised out of nowhere, looking down at the ground.

"It's fine! We both did our best! That's what matters." I smiled at her.

"Yes…"

Together, we walked after Erza, following her to wherever she was going. I was hungry from all the fighting; I could do with some good lunch.


	47. Chapter 45 - Promise

.

 **CHAPTER 45  
PROMISE**

The makeshift base was a short walk away from the cavern exit, located more towards the centre of the island, surrounded by trees. It wasn't much more than a few open tents which provided nice shelter from the harsh sunlight. Mirajane was the only one there when we got there, already busy making some soup.

"Ah, just in time, Erza!" Mirajane greeted her as she approached the camp. "Oh! Roth and Juvia are here, too?" When she noticed the two of us behind Erza. We greeted her back and took seats at a wooden table.

"Where's Gildarts?" Erza inquired.

"Ah, he returned to the guild, along with Freed and Bixlow. I was hoping a few more would stay to watch the trial after all the food I prepared." Mirajane informed us regrettably.

"By the way, how did your match go, Mira?" Erza asked her.

"… I was beaten…" She hesitantly answered, then told us about the trick Elfman and Evergreen had pulled on her to catch her off-guard.

"T–They're getting married!?" Erza was in a state of shock after hearing her story. "Hold on! When is the ceremony?"

"No, that's not it! I'm sure it was just a strategy to throw me off!" Mirajane obviously didn't believe they had told her the truth. I didn't blame her, Evergreen didn't seem like the kind of woman Elfman probably would be interested in. Then again, what did I know? I hardly knew either of them.

"What if it wasn't a strategy!?" Erza kept on going about it with a dead serious look in her eyes.

"It's hard to imagine those two being together." Mirajane said, confirming my exact thoughts. "After all, if they got married and had babies…" She thought about those words for a while, then went into a state of crying. Whatever she must have thought of, it couldn't have been pretty…

I noticed Juvia, who sat next to me, with her face all red when Mirajane had mentioned the word babies. The only thing she probably had in mind was what her babies with Gray would look like... so predictable. I sighed, already bored of listening to this conversation about relationships and babies.

* * *

"What happened to Wendy and that guy… Mest was his name?" I asked, interrupting Erza and Mirajane's casual chattering about babies and marriage.

"I'm not sure. They should have been here by now." Mirajane said with a tone of concern in her voice. "Maybe they forgot where we're supposed to meet up?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Fine. I'll go look for them. I'm a bit worried about Wendy." I said, breaking the silence, and got up from my seat.

Juvia hastily got up as well, but Erza had already made up her mind. "I'll accompany you, then." Erza said decisively. "Mira, Juvia. You two stay here to guard the camp." With a face full of disappointment, Juvia sat down at the table again without saying a word. She knew it would be impossible to argue against Erza's will. I wasn't sure why Erza felt the need to come with me; I was sure I'd be able to take care of myself and whatever might be on my path, but I guessed she thought otherwise.

* * *

Once we left the camp, along with Mirajane and Juvia, behind us, and entered the woods of the forest in search of Wendy and Mest, Erza began to speak. "Roth. What did Gildarts talk with you about… after that incident?" She asked me without looking at me. Why was she bringing that up now?

"Something to do about my past." I answered her vaguely, unsure what exactly she wanted to hear from me.

"The man who attacked you… I might know something about him." She said with a distant look in her eyes.

I was curious now, but I kept quiet to let her continue.

"I recognised the magic that was used on you. That same man visited the Tower of Heaven when it was still under construction, years ago." By the tone in her voice I could tell it brought back bad memories. "He took several of the child workers in exchange for rare and valuable materials they required for the construction of the tower. Where to, and what for, I do not know, but they never returned..."

She paused for a moment, then continued. "I was one of those he'd marked to bring with him. It was horrible..."

I waited for her to say more, but she stayed quiet. Was she crying? To see a woman as tough as her brought to tears by these memories of hers; just what kind of things had she experienced in her past?

"What happened after that?" I carefully asked after a short while, unsure how to do deal with the situation. Should I have comforted her instead of pushing her to tell me more? It was too late for that now…

"I'm… sorry." She wiped the tears out of her eyes. "That curse lasted for days, leading me down a path of despair and darkness I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. The day that man arrived, I was supposed to be taken with him, but they refused to let him take me."

"Are you saying I could have been one of the children that were taken by him?"

"I… don't know. I don't recognise your face. There might have been other places he visited." Erza shook her head as she answered me.

"Gildarts told me that man acts as an assassin and gatekeeper for the Blazing Phoenix guild. That's pretty much all he could tell me about him." I told her all I knew, which to be frank, wasn't much.

"Blazing Phoenix, huh? Doesn't ring a bell." Erza said while in thought. "I'm sorry, this was all I know about him. Still, to think this same man came after you. I don't know what to think of it."

"It's fine. I'm thankful you were willing to share this with me."

"Are you still determined on finding out about your past?" Erza suddenly confronted me after we'd finished our previous conversation and had been quietly walking for a while, still without a trace of either Wendy or Mest.

"I want to… but to tell you the truth, I have so much going on in my life as member of Fairy Tail, I'm not sure if I'll find the time to do so." I said with a pitiful smile. Was it a good thing this guild was keeping me so busy I couldn't even make time free to search about my past? It wasn't something I had actively thought about yet. "I'm trying to keep up with Gajeel and I want Wendy to enjoy her place in our team. I want to become stronger. I want to see more of the world…"

* * *

"Do you think I should work harder on unravelling my past?" I asked her after a moment of silence between us. I wasn't even sure why I was asking her this. I barely knew her, yet for some reason I felt I could trust her. She seemed wise, despite being so young still, and this wasn't something I felt I could really talk about with either of my two teammates.

"That is up to you to decide. I've lived a great part of my life haunted and hurt by my past… Freeing myself from that wasn't an easy task, but I'm glad I was able to do so." She paused for a moment and turned to face me. "Will you be able to live with whatever past you had, Roth… once you find out? Memories aren't always happy… Some are sad, dark, painful… Much more painful than you'd wish them to be."

"Roth. Promise me to not let yourself become victim to your own past, if… when you recover your memories of the past." Erza softly spoke to me.

"I… I won't. That's a promise."


	48. Chapter 46 - Invasion

.

 **CHAPTER 46  
INVASION**

We had been walking for about thirty minutes after leaving the camp, when we found Levy lying on the ground in the middle of the forest on the island. She looked injured, had she been in a fight? Erza and I rushed to her side, but it seemed she was unconscious.

"Levy, wake up!" Erza knelt next to her on the ground and softly nudged her body with one hand.

After a short while, Levy shivered for a moment, and she slowly opened both her eyes.

"What happened to you? You're hurt…" I asked her.

"It's you… thank goodness…" Levy, despite being in pain, managed to smile a bit when she saw us with her. "We're in trouble! Gajeel, he's…!" She tried to tell us about what had happened, but she was still too weakened. However, it was clear something was amiss.

"Don't worry about the details. Just tell us where he is for now." Erza told her and offered her support to Levy. It took her some effort to get up, even with Erza's help.

"…That way." Levy spoke weakly and pointed into the direction where Gajeel should be.

It was hard to imagine Gajeel being in trouble, but the look in Levy's eyes was that of despair. Whatever has happened to them must have been serious. But other than the monsters on the island, there weren't any real enemies here… Then, what could it have been? 

* * *

A short, but rather slow walk later, we arrived at an open spot. The ground was torn asunder in places and several freshly formed craters were visible; it was obvious this had been the place of a tough battle. An injured Gajeel lied in the middle of the field, with two odd-looking persons nearby him.

"Gajeel!" Levy shouted as we entered the field in the middle of the forest, and ran up to him as fast as she could with the injuries she suffered from. Erza and I followed, but with more caution when we saw the two knocked out strangers on the ground.

"Say something, Gajeel!" Levy yelled in desperation. But she needed to worry no longer when Gajeel opened his eyes and told her he'd managed to beat up the enemies that had ambushed them. At that moment, the armoured beastman-looking enemy let out a mean laugh, as he still lied on the ground.

"It's all over!" He claimed triumphantly.

All of us looked had our eyes on him as he spoke. Just what was he going on about? Were there more enemies to come?

"Soon, the main forces will arrive! Wizards whose powers far exceed my own. They are known as the Seven Kin of Purgatory! Hue ha ha!" He finished his little monologue with a weak laugh.

"The Seven Kin?" I asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

Erza explained to me that they were the elite team of the Grimoire Heart guild, one of the top Dark Guilds, and considered even stronger than the Oración Seis.

"We must put the trial on hold. All members, prepare for battle!" She then said, and shot a red flare signal up into the sky.

"What do you think we should do?" I asked Erza.

"First thing we need to do is locate Mest and Wendy. It's possible they're lost and are unable to find our base camp." She answered cool-headedly. Even though we would soon be under attack by one of the strongest Dark Guilds on the continent, she wasn't panicking at all and knew exactly what would be best to do in a situation like this.

"I'll take Gajeel to the camp and treat his wounds. Be careful you two." Levy said to us.

It was still hard to believe Gajeel had been almost taken down by two nobodies who weren't even members of the Dark Guild's elite team. If they were enough to nearly take out one of our strongest members, then how powerful could their main forces be, I wondered. Mixed feelings of fear and excitement went through me, as I thought about the battle soon to come.

"Before we go, Roth…" Erza spoke to me, then turned to the beastman who had told us about their guild's assault plan. "You there! Tell me what you're after!" She shouted at him.

He wasn't planning on giving us answers at first, but a few hits on the head from her quickly changed his mind.

"Ugh… fine. We seek him… The legendary black wizard, Zeref. He is here, on this very island." He groaned, in pain from Erza's punishment.

"Impossible! He can't possibly be alive!" Erza refused to believe what she was being told by this guy. I had a hard time believing it either. I didn't know much about Zeref, but I'd read bits and pieces about him in the books I borrowed from the library. They all stated Zeref lived hundreds of years ago. It would be impossible for him to be alive in this day and age.

The beastman, however, told us Zeref was in fact still alive, and had merely been in a deep slumber that lasted for centuries. It was Grimoire Heart's goal to locate Zeref and use his powers to rule the world. "One of our elite members is already on this island, searching for him, as we speak. Ha ha..."

"We can't afford to stay here any longer, Roth!" Erza yelled, and ran off. I hurried after her and tried to keep up. While I knew little of Zeref, if what that beastman had told us was true, the whole world could be in great danger. In any case, we'd have to try to stop them, no matter what. 

* * *

We had only just left the place where Gajeel had fought his battle with two grunts of the Grimoire Heart guild, when we could see the light of a massive explosion lighting up part of the horizon on the other side of the island. The blast gave off a tremendous amount of magic energy. So the fighting has already started… I was getting really worried about Wendy now. We still had no idea where she was; for all I knew she had been caught up in that explosion.

We ran as fast as we could, even though we didn't know where to look for the two missing members. All of a sudden masked figures, wearing black and dark purple cloaks, appeared from behind the trees behind us and surrounded us, forcing us to stop.

"Not good. We can't continue our search with these guys around. You're ready to fight, Roth?" Erza spoke to me, facing the enemies behind me.

No words were needed. I Prequipped myself with my armour and weapon and shot off Lightning Shock spells before my enemies could even react. At that time, Erza also stormed into action, cutting down foes with every strike of her sword. These guys were weak, possessing little to no any magic power whatsoever. They stood no chance against the two of us, though their numbers were overwhelming. Even after knocking out at least twenty of them, more of them kept coming. I kind of wanted to conserve my magic, but at this rate we would be stuck here for a while.

"Advanced Lightning Technique! Mega Teslas Blade!" An enormous magic sword came crashing down from the sky, landing in the middle of the enemy forces. I then channelled a chunk of magic power, and bolts of lightning rained down from the blade of the sword, striking the area around it. This technique was just perfect for a situation like this, though it took me a fair bit of magic to cast. It didn't take long before the group of enemies had been wiped out by my technique. After Erza picked off the few remaining stragglers, we could finally move on.


	49. Chapter 47 - A Reason To Live

.

 **CHAPTER 47  
A REASON TO LIVE**

Just when we thought we had dealt with all the foes in the area and could continue our search for Wendy and Mest, we were halted again. This time, however, by a lone, young, pink-haired girl, wearing a red cape and golden, metal wing-shaped pieces over her ears. I guessed her to be a few years younger than Erza and I, yet the source of magic surrounding her felt enormous. Could she be one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, I wondered. Erza must have thought the same; she gazed at the girl with fiery eyes.

"Roth, the lightning wizard with an unknown past. Along with Erza Scarlet, known as Titania." The girl merely stated without showing much of an expression.

"State your name." Erza ordered her, obviously not trusting this person before us at all.

"Answer deemed unnecessary." Was the only thing we got out of her, and a pink aura surrounded her entire body. As it looked like things were about to get ugly, I cast Prequip and readied myself for combat.

"Let's do it, Roth." Erza said to me. It was clear she, too, was suspecting this girl to be a member of Grimoire Heart. She took on a defensive combat stance, most likely planning on observing what kind of powers our enemy would use first. 

* * *

"Maguilty… Sodom!" The girl raised one of her hands and cast a spell. At least a dozen of magic-created swords appeared in a circle around her, a technique similar to one I'd seen Erza use once. With a flick of her hand, the magic swords were sent flying into our direction. Coming at such high speed, it was difficult to dodge them. I tried to deflect them using my sword, but with so many coming at us, it wasn't easy. Nearing the end of her technique, one of the blades managed to graze my upper arm, slightly wounding me. However, the pain caused by it was far greater than it should be. I went down on one knee and grabbed my injured arm with my other hand, hoping it would reduce the pain. The wound was barely deep enough to make it bleed, then how could it hurt this much?

"My blades apply direct stimulus to the sense of pain. One might say they are blades of sensation." The girl conveniently informed us when she saw the shock on our faces.

"I see. So you're one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, aren't you?" Erza concluded, realising this enemy was much stronger than she looked, and much more dangerous than any regular wizard would be.

"Answer deemed unnecessary." And again she wasn't wiling to answer our questions. "My mission is to eliminate the enemy."

"It's our turn to go on the offensive. Get ready, Roth!" Erza said, and Requipped herself with Heaven's Wheel Armour. I tried to ignore the pain as best as I could and got back up. For now it might be best if I stayed behind Erza and stuck with casting magic attacks, I thought, as I analysed the situation. Getting up close to her could be pretty dangerous with her kind of magic abilities; besides, I'd probably only get in Erza's way. I waited for Erza to make her charge at the girl, after which I directly launched a powerful Lightning Strike spell in the direction where I predicted the enemy to move at. While my aim was perfect, this girl was much more nimble than I'd expected and she managed to dodge my attack even after parrying Erza's sword slash.

She flawlessly weaved her evasive movements into an aggressive charge, aimed at me, instead of Erza, who was much closer to her. That unexpected dash towards me totally caught me off-guard and I could only just get out of the way of her sword attack. Her swordmanship wasn't even that impressive, but the way she moved in such a way to not get hit by our attacks and still force us to go onto the defensive was outstanding. She kept Erza at bay with another charge of her Maguilty Sodom technique and overwhelmed me with high speed attacks I could barely follow. Her sword sliced through my skin numerous times, as I failed to properly evade all of her attacks. This was ridiculous, how could she be this strong? Just as I got driven into a corner, Erza returned to my side, forcing the girl to back off and giving me some room to breath. She jumped back, creating distance between us. This battle with her hadn't lasted for more than a couple of minutes yet and I was already down on my knees… was this truly the best I could do? 

* * *

"Despite having not much energy left after the S-class trial, I never thought a two-on-one fight would prove this difficult…" Erza stated. She as well must have been impressed by how well this young girl had managed to stand her ground against the two of us.

"Fourteenth." The girl spoke without emotion as she looked at me.

"Don't worry. I'll handle her." Erza said and stepped forward. She was still in good shape after the first round against this enemy.

"Erza Scarlet. You are fourth." The girl, her eyes on Erza now, continued her senseless monologue.

"And what does this ranking mean?" Erza asked as she came at the girl again, ready for the next round.

"The order of priority in which I should kill you." She at last answered one of our questions. How useful this answer exactly was was another story, though. With a swipe of her arm, she sent another barrage of magic swords at us. No, they were aimed at me. Again, why was she so intent on going after me instead of Erza who was right in her face? I was able to cast Photon Barrier just in time in an attempt to shield myself, but the swords flew straight through it, unaffected by the photons. A number of magic swords struck my body, causing excruciating pain. This wasn't right… how could I lose this badly to a person like this. This is not how it's supposed to be, I thought to myself, frustrated with my lack of power and skill to deal with this enemy. I had to fight back somehow, but my body was hurting too much after that last attack to even get up…

"Why are you going after Roth!?" Erza yelled at her, noticing the same thing.

"Fourteenth is trash. So I'm taking it out early!" The girl answered and with that, launched yet another wave of swords at me. I screamed as several more struck me, inflicting even more pain. This feeling of pain was overwhelming, all I could do was lie on the ground, hoping it would fade away.

"Stay strong, Roth!" Erza saw I was getting quite the beating and wouldn't last much longer at this rate. She went back onto the defensive and deflected the rest of the magic swords with her weapon.

"Number three is Gildarts. But he doesn't seem to be on this island anymore." This girl just kept on going about this priority list of hers, even whilst she was in combat with Erza. "Second is Makarov. But I believe Master Hades has already dealt with him."

"Master is second!?" Erza shouted in disbelief. "You're saying there's someone even more high-priority than our guild master!?"

"First is Gray." She answered with a cold look in her eyes. "Gray Fullbuster."

"What?" That was all Erza could utter after hearing that. I would have as well if I wasn't feeling like I was dying of pain right now… There had to be a way I could get myself back into the fight. I couldn't let this go on for any longer.

"He… killed Ultear's mother…" The girl said as she increased her magic power even further. "He brought Ultear sorrow! He hurt my Ultear!" She yelled at us in anger and charged up another Maguilty Sodom spell attack. "I will make him pay! I'm going to tear him apart!" In just a matter of seconds she had gone completely insane. 

* * *

At the very moment she fired off her fully charged magic spell, I gathered all the power I could muster, and blasted lightning bolts from the sky into her attack, intercepting the magic swords as they came at us. It was about time I'd make her shut up; I couldn't take more of her nonsense. Erza and our enemy both looked my way in shock when they realised it had be me who had destroyed the girl's spell.

"Just who the hell do you think you are…!?" I growled in anger and tried to get myself up, despite the intense pain that still went through my body. "Thinking you can invade our guild's holy grounds and just kill us off… All for that stupid reason of yours!?" I furiously shouted at her. "I won't allow you to hurt my friends, no matter how great you believe your justification for doing so is! This 'piece of trash' will wipe the floor with you and teach you Fairy Tail isn't to be messed with!" I held up one of my arms to the sky, and channelled a huge amount of magic to my hand.

"Advanced Lightning Technique! Blitzerang!" From two magic circles above my hand, an enormous V-shaped object, purely made of lightning, materialised. Despite being around twice the size of a regular person, it didn't weigh that much. I took hold of one end of the electric boomerang with both my hands, and threw it at the enemy with all my might.

The girl was completely taken by surprise by my sudden burst of rage and had barely time to react. However, she managed to summon a new wave of magic swords in time, before the Blitzerang would get to her. There was no way her swords were enough to protect her against my technique, I thought, confident about myself this time. I poured a large amount of magic into this one spell.

The Blitzerang crashed straight through her line of swords, and continued to tear through the area, as it flew past my target, leaving a trail of complete destruction in its path; with every tree or rock hit causing an explosion. It seemed the pink-haired girl underestimated my technique and hadn't gotten out of its way in time, injuring one of her shoulders, as well as briefly stunning her with an electric shock.

I wasn't done yet. She had yet to be taught that I wouldn't allow her to hurt any of my comrades in Fairy Tail. While she was still recovering from the pain and shock caused by my previous spell, I took up my sword again, pointing it at her and charging it with a huge chunk of magic. As the blade of my sword began to glow brighter, I closed my eyes and searched for my target's source of magic. She was still surrounded by a powerful magic aura, making it easy for me to lock onto her.

"Focused Strike!" I shouted, and in that instant, I unleashed the power I'd gathered inside the glowing blade and fired a large beam of concentrated lightning at her. I collected huge portions of magic I had still been holding onto and kept channelling them towards the blade to continue powering my destructive spell. My arms holding the sword and my entire body were trembling as a result of my anger and intense magic output, as I kept up firing Focused Strike.

Once I felt my magic reserves depleting rapidly I finally cut off the stream of magic towards my sword and opened my eyes again, only to find out the entire landscape in front of me had been transformed into a wasteland. A huge trail of destruction had been left behind by the use of my Blitzerang and Focused Strike spells. Both Erza and the girl had a look of disbelief in their eyes, as they stared at what I'd done to the surrounding area. 

* * *

"Erza. Go on ahead. I can handle this battle on my own." I told her. Whether I could handle this on my own, I actually did not know for sure. But I wanted this to be my battle, however selfish that might be. This would be my chance to prove myself against a worthy foe. "Find the others and make sure they're okay."

Erza removed her Requipped armour and returned to the bikini outfit she had been wearing outside combat since we'd come to Tenrou Island. "Understood. I leave this to you!" With that, she ran off.

"I won't let four escape!" The girl yelled in anger and summoned yet another set of magic swords to send at us.

At that very moment, a series of loud booms could be heard, becoming increasingly stronger with every second. As the magic swords were sent flying at Erza, my Blitzerang finally returned from its path of destruction, intercepting them before they could hit their target. I held up my arm and caught the flying lightning boomerang, absorbing it and regaining part of the magic energy I'd initially poured into it.

"Maguilty Rays!" She jumped up into the air, with her arms spread out, and sent multiple yellow blades towards me. With a chunk of my magic restored, I felt somewhat reenergised and cast accurately aimed Lightning Shock spells to destroy the blades coming at me.

"Don't even think you're worth Erza's time. I'm your opponent for this fight." I said and glared at her. Now that we were standing still again, the pain from earlier returned. I'd managed to suppress most of it with my burst of rage, and while I was still hurting, the effect of her magic blades was already beginning to weaken. I noticed how the blades themselves had barely injured me at all, meaning they really were nothing but an illusion of pain. A powerful illusion, sure, but an illusion nonetheless.

"Your trust in your friends allows you to forgive their sins. Is that it, fourteen?" The girl spoke and took a more relaxed stance, probably taking the chance to regenerate some of her magic. While I wasn't particularly interested in talking more with this opponent, it might be for the best to use the time to let the pain from her swords further fade.

"I do not know what went on in the past between you, Gray and this Ultear person you mentioned before. I only know the Gray of the present and know he's a man with good and honest intentions." I answered her with honesty. "While I haven't known him for very long, the little time I've spent with him, I've got nothing but good impressions of him. I consider him, just as any of my other guildmates, a friend that I would protect with my life if needed." 

* * *

"Please demonstrate to me this friendship of yours. Imagine the visage of your dear friend, Gray." She challenged me… though for what purpose, I wondered.

I did as she asked of me. I pictured Gray standing beside me. He was one of many comrades I had in Fairy Tail. I had gone on several adventures with him since I joined this guild, and felt I could completely trust him. I couldn't imagine Gray hurting or killing innocent people. If he were here, I knew he'd give it his all to help me defeat this foe. Together we'd be able to; I was sure of it.

"That's it! Sensory Link!" She pointed her hand, holding two fingers up, at me. A bright purple light surrounded my body and I got slightly lifted off the ground as the spell took effect. All of my senses in my body became messed up at that very moment, but most of it consisted of intense pain, yet I was unable to move. This strange, painful sensation lasted for only seconds, after which it dissipated and left me down on my knees with my body slightly trembling as it began to recover again.

There was a magic seal on my wrist, surrounded by a purple light. What had she done to me? Had I been tricked into doing something I shouldn't have done?

"Lost magic. Maguilty Sense. I've linked your senses with Gray's. "She began to explain to me. "This connection requires a strong feeling toward another. The fact it was able to work at all means your friendship is genuine."

"All this just to test my friendship? What's the point?" I didn't quite get what the meaning of this was.

"This spell makes you fully share each other's senses. Including pain!" As she spoke that last sentence, she struck me with yellow magic blades. This attack came so out of nowhere, I hadn't even time to get out of the way and had to resort to using both my arms as a shield. A shock of pain went through me, as I got hit by her attack. "All the pain you just felt, Gray feels, too."

So that was it; that just meant I had to stop getting hit. Good thing I was planning on doing so, anyway. Still, that attack of hers just hurt me badly, my arms were feeling like they were stung with hundreds of needles… it would be difficult to use my sword like this, or to even fight back for that matter. I gritted my teeth as I endured the pain and tried to tell myself it was nothing but an illusion; with my senses linked to Gray's, I couldn't afford to let this battle go on for much longer. With quivering hands I held my sword in front of me, pointed at my opponent. Having already used some of my strongest moves on her, I knew of one more spell I could try to catch her off-guard with. Ignoring the pain in my arms the best I could, I took on a combat stance and gathered most of the magic energy I still had.

"Advanced Storm Technique! Tempest Break!" With one mighty swing of my sword aimed at the sky, a large, rotating magic circle formed on the ground beneath our feet and strong currents of wind began to whirl around the battlefield, surrounding us both. I dashed towards my opponent, who looked prepared to parry my sword attack. She fell for my feint, I ducked under the swing of her sword and from my crouched position,sprang back up again and uppercut her in the jaw. While she was still in the air, not yet recovered from my punch, I hit her with a sweeping kick, sending her flying backwards. The winds rotating around the field were strong enough to hold her inside this magic arena I'd created and bounced her back into the centre again. I threw another lightning-charged punch at her, but she swiftly dodged it and jumped backwards. To think she got out of my combo technique this easily, this wasn't good. This pain I was suffering from was hindering my movement too much.

"Impossible! How does he have this much power left!?" She was clearly hurt from my last attack and didn't look too well. "I didn't know he was this strong. In that case, I'll have to resort to this! Three-Spread Sensory Link!"

Seeing her trying to cast a spell, I used the winds to knock her off balance, hoping I'd be in time to interrupt her, as well as to give me a chance to continue my combo. A strong gust of wind pushed her in the back, making her stumble forward. Before she could regain balance, I dashed at her and planted my fist in her gut with full power. She gasped at air and fell on her knees. As I was about to deliver a finishing blow, I suddenly felt as if my stomach got crushed by something. I, too, was forced onto my knees by this pain, right in front of my opponent. Was this the spell she had just cast on me? The effects of Tempest Break faded, as I lost the focus to keep it up any longer. 

* * *

"For Ultear's sake… I'll gladly give my life." The girl spoke, and slowly got up on her feet again.

I stared at her with confusion in my eyes. What was she going on about now?

"You, Gray and I are all now linked through our senses. If one of us were to die in this battle, Gray will die, too." She explained.

"Then, I'll make sure none of us dies." I said. Though, that would be easier said than done. I was through most of my magic energy; if she were to pull off something big right now, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop her.

"Naïve! I won't let you stop me from achieving my goal." She took a few steps back and looked down at me with eyes burning with determination. "It's over. Neither of us has the strength left to fight. I'm going to end this right now." She then summoned two magic swords, similar to the ones she had been using against me before. Though, this time they were positioned differently, not intended to be sent flying at me, but instead crossed in front of her chest. "I need only kill myself."

"Don't do it!" I yelled and reached my hand out at her. I wasn't going to be able to get to her in time from my position; there had to be a way to stop her. In that instant, I tightened my hand into a fist and used it to punch myself in the stomach that was still hurting from that blow earlier. Her magic blades shattered before they could strike their target, as she received the pain I inflicted onto myself through the effect of her own spell.

"You're smart, I'll give you that. But if you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me." She was still determined to go through with this, even though her body must be hurting like hell at this point. "…Death is the only option for us three now."

This girl. I only realised it just now. She wasn't a villain. Not like any of the scum from Dark Guilds I've faced before. Her goal didn't even relate to what this Grimoire Heart guild set out to do; she was solely driven by her feelings and emotions from the past. Whatever has happened to her must have hurt her deeply; to be willing to go as far as throwing away her own life to kill the man she hates so much… No, that wasn't right. Aside from the obvious fact I didn't want Gray to die, I didn't want her to die either.

"No… it's not. I won't let you die." I said as I gathered the power to get back on my feet again.

"Stay away! I will kill Gray, for Ultear's sake!" She yelled furiously and created another magic sword, floating above her head. She screamed with her eyes closed as the sword descended upon her. 

* * *

I stumbled toward her as I fast as I could with my body sore and tired of all the pain it had been subjected to today. I didn't think I could endure more of it, nor had I any strength left in me to fight her. If I couldn't stop her using my fists, sword or magic, then perhaps this would… As I stood before her, I wrapped my arms around her body and held her tightly. That very moment I touched her, my head got flooded by images, voices and feelings, none of which I recognised. Was I experiencing the memories this girl had in her? Visions of sceneries and people I had never seen before, mostly of this young and beautiful lady. She was like a mother to this girl. She cared for her, brought her happiness and made her smile. These warm and happy memories of this person so close to her… and she still wanted to throw away her life so badly? As quickly as all these visions had appeared in my head, they vanished again.

I found myself with tears flowing from my eyes, as I returned to reality, still holding this girl in my arms. While I had woken up with no memories whatsoever only months ago, she was full of them, many of them precious and filled with happiness. She had somebody that loved her. The thought of her willing to give up all of that just like that… it was hurting me more than any of her magic had done.

We stood there for a while, not exchanging any words. I then released her and took one step back and looked her in the eyes.

"You have someone dear to you…they mean the world to you, as do you to them. Please, live… for their sake."

In shock by my words to her, she stared back at me.

"Live, for the person you love."

"Love…? Live… for Ultear." She was trying not to cry, but despite her efforts, tears began to roll down her cheeks. She must have realised it now; she had to live, not die, for the one she loved.

We both collapsed onto the ground, our bodies and minds totally exhausted from everything we'd gone through. I didn't have the will, nor need to fight this girl anymore. Before I closed my eyes, I saw the seal on my wrist disappear. I somehow had managed to bring this all to a good end.


	50. Chapter 48 - Playing With Dolls

.

 **CHAPTER 48  
PLAYING WITH DOLLS**

I woke up, still lying in the same place where I had fallen at the end of my fight with the pink-haired girl. She, too, was still there, but she was still asleep. My body still felt sore from my battle earlier, but a lot of my magic energy had been replenished during my nap on the ground here. Going by the stance of the sun, I must have been out for an hour or two.

I wasn't sure what to do with the girl… After all, she was the enemy and she'd probably be waking up soon, too. Would she go after the after the others once she does? Should I further weaken her while she's in this defenceless state? Our guild's chances of winning the fight against Grimoire Heart might increase if I did… I got up and Prequipped myself, aimed the tip of the Lightning Edge at her and charged a Lightning Shock spell. One direct hit should be enough to take her out of the fight for at least a couple more hours. I continued to charge the spell, yet I couldn't get myself to release it. That innocent look on her face as she lied there unconscious on the ground… Having seen through her memories… She really wasn't a villain. Just as my hand began to tremble from holding the overcharged sword, I withdrew all the magic I'd gathered and discarded my Prequip gear. I turned around and walked away, feeling weak for not having been able to go through with it. I just hoped I hadn't made a wrong choice. 

* * *

Unable to remember what way I had come from, I wondered where I should be going now. It was likely some of our members would still be in combat with the forces of Grimoire Heart at this time… if only I knew where everyone was. That wish was soon fulfilled, when I suddenly heard a scream in the distance. That sounded like Lucy's! Without hesitating, I sprinted in the direction of where I heard it coming from.

It had been silent for a while after that first scream; I hoped I wouldn't be too late, as I rushed through the woods. Not a minute later, I arrived in a part of the island where no trees were growing, that's where I found Lucy… along with some weird, chalk white-skinned man with a huge head, who looked with glinting eyes at a strange, tiny creature dancing in front of him. Just what was going on here?

"Roth!" Lucy cheered happily when she saw me. It was clear she wasn't in a great state and was having trouble dealing with this weird guy.

"Yo. How did you end up getting separated from the rest?" I asked her, ignoring the enemy who wasn't paying attention to us right now, anyway.

"I'll answer that later. I could really use your help beating him." She replied and pointed at the man.

"I'm not feeling too well after my previous battle, but I'll see try my best." I said and readied myself for combat. It was true; the pain that I'd been subjected to during my battle with the girl was still negatively affecting me. While looking at the still distracted enemy in front of me, I wondered what would be best to do. He actually didn't look too threatening, but even so, it might be better to see what kind of abilities he can use.

"…Wait. Who's this? He's another one of your friends?" The guy finally took his eyes off the creature that now ran back to Lucy. "He doesn't look that tasty. That was really the best you could get me?"

"What's this guy's deal, Lucy?" I asked in bewilderment.

"I don't get it either, but watch out. He's stronger than he looks. I'll summon a Spirit to help us out. Cancer! You're up!" With that, she drew a key from a pouch that began to glow brightly. A man with crab legs growing from his back and wielding scissors in both hands appeared out of thin air.

"Long time, no see, shrimp." He spoke as soon as made his appearance and turned towards Lucy. "So, what hairstyle would you like, shrimp?"

"He's who we're up against." Lucy told him to go fight the man with the big head. "Just give him a haircut so embarrassing he can't go out in public!"

"Okay, shrimp."

As Lucy's crab spirit dashed at our enemy, so did I, charging my blade with lightning. If the spirit would go for his head, then so would I. With a couple of swift moves, Cancer finished his haircut attack and backed off again. I ran up behind the enemy and then shot a Lightning Shock spell at the back of his head. My spell was a direct hit, yet it didn't seem to have much effect?

"Impossible! My beautiful scissors, shrimp!?" The crab spirit stated in utter shock when he saw his scissors crumble to dust after using them on the enemy.

"My bristles haven't seen shampoo since the stone age, pal. They work great as electric nullifier as well." The guy with the big head said smugly. "Dodoskoi!" He then slammed Lucy's Celestial Spirit with the palm of his hand, sending him flying high into the sky.

"I–In that case… It's up to you, Aries!" Lucy activated another one of her keys the moment Cancer vanished. This time a horned girl wearing wool over her body appeared between her and the enemy.

"Yes! I'll try my best!" She spoke timidly.

"Wey! It's chow time!" The guy came running at her with drool coming out of his mouth. Was he still looking for something or someone to eat, I wondered. Either way, this female spirit didn't look like she'd put on much of a fight against him. I'd better try another attack, this time not aiming for his head. "Focused Strike!" I quickly gathered a bunch of energy and released it from my sword. The beam of lightning struck the guy in the back, making him fall over before he could get to Lucy's spirit.

"Now, Aries!" Lucy gave the order.

"Wool Bomb!" A bunch of pink, fluffy stuff exploded out of nowhere all around the enemy and began to completely surround him. For a moment there wasn't any sound of movement coming from the ball of pink fluff. Did it actually work?

I returned to Lucy's side while she complimented Aries on her new, seemingly effective technique. Right then, with a loud "Dadastan!" the guy broke free from Aries's ball of wool, causing the pink stuff to fly everywhere. Why didn't our attacks have any effect on him? He had even shrugged off my lightning techniques as if it were nothing…

"Dodoskoi!" One slam using his palm sent us all flying into the air and made Aries return to her key. His attacks sure hit hard and took away all the air in my lungs. I had to get avoid getting hit by one of those again or else I'd really be in bad state… Lucy and I landed on the ground a distance away from our enemy,, then proceeded to helplessly roll down the slope of a hill before we were able to recover. 

* * *

We finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, though it wasn't the time to take it easy yet. I looked over my shoulder, only to see our enemy had turned into steel and launched himself at us at high speed. There was no way I was going to have enough time to properly defend against him; all I could do was prepare for the worst and hope I'd survive the impact.

However, just before he crashed into us, Natsu appeared out of nowhere, kicking the guy in his face, sending him off course.

"Natsu!" Lucy and I yelled in unison, surprised at seeing him here and thankful for saving us both.

"Lucy… Roth!? What are you doing here!?" Natsu yelled back in even greater surprise.

"They came hurtling from that-a-way. All lame-like" Happy pointed out, much happier than he should, considering the situation.

"Is there a cool way of hurtling through the air!?" Lucy responded agitated, not appreciating being made fun of by the blue cat. "Anyway, were you fighting too, Natsu?" A black-haired woman was siding with the guy Lucy and I were just fighting. She must be one of the other Seven Kin of Purgatory.

"This one's mine! Hands off!" Natsu totally misunderstood her question.

"This isn't a contest. None of us are in great condition. It'd be best if we worked together." I attempted to bring some rationality to the situation. I could tell even Natsu was in poor shape, though due to his stubbornness he'd never admit it. "With the three of us we have the advantage against these two clowns."

"Well, I'm feeling generous today, so I'll let you guys get in some hits on them too." Natsu responded with way too much smug. "Don't get me wrong, we're still rivals when it comes to completing the S-rank trial, but I don't mind calling a truce for now."

That was as good as it was going to get. Lucy and I both agreed to his words and got ourselves ready for the next round.

"I'm all fired up now!" 

* * *

"Miss Ultear! You needn't trouble yourself with these guys!" I can handle them by myself!" The guy with the big head shouted whilst pointing his finger at our group.

"I leave them to you, then. I do need to take Zeref to Master Hades, anyway." She calmly said and got ready to leave the battlefield.

"You're not going anywhere!" Natsu angrily charged at her, but her ally smashed his palm into Natsu's face, stopping him in his tracks.

"Fine! I'll take out this guy first." Natsu had already decided on a change of plans.

"Lucy. We'll go after her!" I said to her and ran after the woman who had already disappeared in the forest surrounding the field we were fighting. "Lucy!?" I stopped and turned around to see what was taking her so long, only to find out she was completely frozen in place.

"I plucked a hair when I was chasing you." The guy said and showed us a small human-like doll with a single hair on its head. "Through your hair, you and Mister Cursey are now one and the same. Now you are my puppet!" He then proceeded to pull at the doll and move around its limbs, and as he did, Lucy performed all sorts of strange poses, oddly familiar to how this guy was controlling his doll. Wait, this couldn't be a full body control?

Natsu and I looked in shock at what was going on with Lucy, but we both quickly realised we should take action rather sooner than later before Lucy would break from these crazy poses. However, before we could even think of taking on the enemy himself, we were forced into fighting Lucy, as he controlled her body to fight against us. I tried to block her attacks using my arms, but she broke right through my defences with a single, powerful kick and sent me flying. Was Lucy always this strong? That attack of hers really did hurt, I thought, as I rubbed the spot where she'd struck me. Even Natsu was having a tough time with her. As we struggled dealing with just Lucy, an idea popped up in my head; a way to beat this guy.

Once Lucy was being focused on Natsu again, I Lightning Stepped in front of the enemy, effectively surprising him and snatched the doll out of his hands before he could react to me and then Lightning Stepped away again. My second Lightning Step also caused Lucy to suddenly jump locations, giving Natsu some breathing room. However, the guy had already spotted me and dashed at me at incredible speed. How could that big body of his be this fast?

"Natsu! Catch!" I quickly threw the doll in Natsu's general direction just in time, before getting hit by a painful palm strike, which sent me flying into a tree. I hoped Natsu would be able to take it from here, as I didn't think I'd be of much help in my current state.

Luckily, Natsu got the idea of what to do with the doll he'd managed to catch, and began to control Lucy in such a way that made her fight back against our enemy.

"Behold, the ultimate Lucy! Able to move in any which way!" Natsu yelled and seemed to greatly enjoy this. The first attack caught him off-guard, and from there on Natsu just made Lucy keep attacking without giving him a chance to strike back. With how effective every hit Lucy dealt to the guy, I figured the doll must somehow greatly enhance the physical abilities of its victim, as there was no way Lucy was this strong on her own.

I–I just got an even better idea!" Natsu grinned crazily. "Fire Dragon… Iron Fist!" He then lit the end of the arm of the doll on fire, causing Lucy's hand to catch fire as well.

"No way!" Lucy shrieked in terror when she saw her hand on fire.

"This is gonna be the greatest thing ever!" Natsu ensured her, though she didn't look at all convinced. "Happy!" He threw the doll at Happy, who was nearby in the air. "It's time for max speed!"

"Aye!"

With that, Happy began to accelerate at top speed, flying high into the sky. Due to him holding the doll, Lucy involunteerily followed after him. They then turned around and flew back to where our enemy was standing. With the immense speed Lucy was flying at, her whole body got caught on fire, almost looking like a miniature meteor. The guy looked up and saw her coming at him but realised she was way too fast for him to dodge out of the way.

"Special Technique! Lucy Fire!" With an explosive kick to the guy's face, Lucy crashed into him. His body still smoking from the impact, he fell to the ground and looked like he wasn't going to get back up anytime soon.

"We did it!" Natsu exclaimed cheerfully.

"Aye, Sir!"

I quietly smiled when I saw them take out the enemy, glad we had managed to win another battle against one of Grimoire Heart's elite members. At least two of them were down, so that meant there were five more still somewhere on this island; one of them being the woman who got away from us.


	51. Chapter 49 - Regrouping

.

 **CHAPTER 49  
REGROUPING**

"Aw, he's gone!" Natsu groaned in frustration when we ran up to someplace he led us to, only to find out there was nothing there but a regular tree.

"Are you sure Zeref was here?" Lucy asked him.

"They definitely were here, but she sprayed something all around. There's no way to track 'em now." Natsu said after sniffing the air around the place. "This sucks. I'm gonna take a nap."

"We don't have time for that right now. I'm worried about Cana, and we have to go after Zeref." Lucy said. While I agreed with her, getting some rest right now to replenish some of our energy wouldn't be a bad idea. In the end we decided to take it easy for a bit and in the meantime organise some of the information we'd gathered about our enemy so far.

"… Like I just explained, they're plotting to use Zeref to take over the world." Lucy explained for the second time to Natsu what the enemy was trying to accomplish. Natsu wasn't exactly the brightest, so she had to use the simplest words she could find to help him understand.

"Take over the world, huh? Sounds pretty over-the-top if you ask me." Natsu didn't sound very impressed, nor interested in the finer details, but I was sure he cared. "Still… we got to settle the score with them for what they did to Gramps." His tone was a lot more serious with that last line. "They better not even think they can leave the island now."

"Well, how did they get here in the first place?" I asked. "They must've come here using a ship of some sort if I had to guess…"

"Roth's right. And remember when that dark-haired woman said she was going to bring Zeref to her master? There's a good chance they have that ship anchored somewhere!" Lucy completed my train of thoughts. "Happy! Do you think you could fly around and look for it?"

"You know, I would, but I'm all out of magic power, sorry." Happy responded with an embarrassed smile.

"That makes you just a regular kitty, then…" Lucy failed to hide her disappointment with Happy's reply.

"In that case, what do you say we head back to Gramps and Wendy?" Natsu suggested. "Maybe we can get Carla or Lily to look for it."

Really? Natsu knew where Wendy was? I felt immensely relieved knowing she was safe. Well, unless something has happened after he's left her… But if she's with the guild master, she'd probably be fine. Lucy and I both agreed to that plan, and so we followed Natsu. 

* * *

"Wendy!" Natsu yelled when we finally made it to the location she and the guild master would be at.

"Mister Natsu! Roth! And Miss Lucy! You're all back!" She looked happy to see us all again. She sat on the ground next to where Makarov was lying, his body all wrapped in bandages. What happened to him, I wondered, as we approached the two.

"How's Makarov?" Lucy asked her, worried when she saw him in this state.

"Still not that great." She replied regretfully.

"His wounds must be too severe. Still, it's strange… I don't sense that his life is in danger." Lily, who also happened to be here with Wendy and Carla, spoke.

"Perhaps it has something to do with this island being considered sacred ground." Carla said.

Right then, a wizard appeared out of thin air only metres away from us. It was Mest, and he had quite the serious look on his face.

"Where did you run off to, whoever you are?" Natsu bluntly asked him.

"He's Mest. A spy from the Magic Council." Lucy said, saved him the trouble answering. Wait, how did Lucy know this, I wondered. And wasn't this the guy who'd teamed up with Wendy for the trial, or was I going crazy?

"To be honest, my real name is Doranbolt." He spoke.

"Mister Doranbolt. What are you doing here?" Wendy asked in surprise and got up.

"There's no need to worry, Wendy. You could say I'm on a rescue mission." He stated with a smile. None of us knew what exactly he meant with that. Fairy Tail didn't need to be rescued. The only thing that needed to happen was getting these Grimoire Heart guys off our island without letting them take Zeref with them.

"With my magic, I can take your guild members off this island. I just need to know where everyone is…" He continued to explain.

"We don't need your help, got that?" Natsu responded, unimpressed with Doranbolt's plan.

"Why would we want the Council's help?" Carla spoke. She didn't seem to trust this guy at all.

"Indeed. This is our problem, not yours. Trust me, we solve this on our own." Lily added.

"Listen to me! Once the Council finds out what's going on, they'll likely attack the island!" Doranbolt yelled at us in the hopes to convince us to agree to his plan.

"Then we'll just take care of it before that happens." I said, unable to remain quiet any longer. I, too, didn't want this guy's help. He had deceived us before, there was no telling what else he might be scheming behind our backs.

"Your master has been defeated! And Grimoire Heart still has incredibly powerful wizards on their side! You can't possibly win!" Doranbolt wouldn't give up, but none of us was interested in what he had to say. We would solve this problem the Fairy Tail way. Finally realising this, he shut his mouth, but he stayed at our side. As long as he wouldn't get in our way, I didn't care. 

* * *

Dark clouds had gathered above the island during this time, and rain began to fall down from the skies. With the guild master in this weakened state, we all agreed it would be best to carry him to a dry place. After a short while we found some old ruins that could provide us with shelter from the rain. We were all still tired from our previous battles, so we decided to stay and rest inside these ruins for the time being, at least until the weather would clear up again, hopefully soon. In the meantime, Lily and Carla were sent out to do some scouting for us.

As I made myself as comfortable as possible on the cold, stone floor, my thoughts went to the other guild members. The last time I'd seen Gajeel he was in pretty bad shape. I knew Gajeel was very strong, but I couldn't help but worry a little after seeing what happened to him. At least Levy was with him.

Then there was Erza, who went all alone after I offered to take out the pink-haired girl myself. It was even harder to feel worried for her. In fact, I was more worried for whoever would be her opponent. I grinned a little when I thought of how badly she would punish anybody who would dare to stand up against her and the guild.

What about Mirajane and Juvia, though? Those two were left behind at the base camp. But considering how Mirajane was seen as Erza's equal in battle, they too would probably be just fine on their own. Juvia wasn't to be underestimated either. Then who else was left? I almost forgot about Gray. Didn't he team up with Loke? I didn't know much about his partner, but Gray himself was a pretty tough guy. Those two surely wouldn't be taken down easily. And then there was Cana. She was supposed to be with Lucy, but I had no idea where she was now… Hopefully she managed to team up with one of our other members. 

* * *

"Roth… Roth! Are you awake?" I heard Wendy's voice from far away and felt something nudging me. I suddenly woke up from my thoughts and could hear her loud and clear.

"Sorry. I was thinking. What's happening?" I apologised for my absent-mindedness and quickly got up.

"We're all leaving to the base camp. We're waiting for you to come." She told me.

"Man. We could've already been there if you'd been paying attention!" Natsu, carrying the guild master on his back, bluntly complained, but he didn't sound mean about it. I apologised some more and followed after them. It was still raining, and looking at those clouds, it didn't seem like it would stop any time soon. I didn't mind too much; in fact it was quite refreshing after those hours in the heat.

Doranbolt warned us one last time that whatever we were doing wasn't right, but once again, we ignored him and left him behind at the ruins. What happened on this island was none of his concern.


	52. Chapter 50 - Fairy Glitter

.

 **CHAPTER 50  
FAIRY GLITTER**

It had only been minutes since we left the ruins and Doranbolt behind us, when we ran into this tall, muscular man, surrounded by extreme downpour, making it hard to make out any details on his appearance.

"Someone's there." Natsu stated the obvious, but he halted and remained on guard. The rest of us stayed close behind him. Chances were this guy was another one of Grimoire Heart's elite members.

"What is this magic power!?" Wendy exclaimed in shock. The others, and I as well, noticed there was something special about this guy. His power level was through the roof. Even the normally cocky Natsu couldn't hide his expression of surprise, sensing this guy's extraordinary magic power. Would it be a good idea to stay and fight against this monster, I wondered. None of us were fully recovered from our previous fights… No, running wasn't an option. The only way forward was by defeating him in battle. At moments like these, when facing an enemy with such overwhelming power, I wish Erza was here to aid us.

"Who are you!? One of the Kin!?" Natsu asked loudly to have his voice be heard over the rainfall.

"Tell me, can you fly?" The man calmly replied after a brief moment. None of us knew how to respond to that; what did he mean by that? "No, I guess you still can't." He then lifted both his hands and with stretched arms aimed them at us. In an instance the rain in the area stopped. Complete silence followed, as we waited what would happen next. "Fall." He spoke next. And with that the rain began to fall again, breaking the silence. At that very moment, I felt a huge pressure on me, knocking me down to the ground. My body and the air around me felt like it was weighing a ton. Even the ground beneath me was crumbling under the extreme pressure this magic spell was putting on us. I could hardly move my head to see what happened to the others, but hearing from their screams I could only assume they were affected by it as well. 

* * *

After what seemed ages, the pressure put on the area loosened. I still felt heavier than normal, but I could at least move my body again. With effort I raised my head a little to look in front of me. The others lied on the ground nearby; before us stood the mysterious man, still surrounded by heavy downpour.

"Personally, I don't care about Fairy Tail or Zeref." The man calmly spoke as he watched us. "But there is one thing here that I want. Where is the grave of Mavis Vermilion, Fairy Tail's first master?" He asked us.

"None of us knows, and even if we did, we wouldn't tell you anyway!" Lucy yelled at him.

"I wonder what he wants with the grave of the first master… Do you think it has to do with the second part of the trial?" Wendy spoke to no one in particular. She did raise a good point, though. What exactly was he after?

"That's it! Now I understand!" Happy suddenly yelled as though he'd come to some sort of realisation.

"I'm sure we end up dumber once we hear what you have to say, but by all means, go ahead." Carla said, being her usual mean self to Happy, even under these circumstances.

"You want to be an S-class wizard, too, don't you!? Too bad! We're not letting you join Fairy Tail!" Happy spoke with full confidence about the nonsense he was spouting. Even I had to shake my head in disbelief from hearing that. Right after Happy finished, he was struck by a powerful gravity spell, completely flattening him. It seemed our opponent wasn't exactly impressed with his theory either.

"All right, that's enough. No more comments from you." The man continued to talk. "Listen, I don't know about any 'trial' or 'S-class' nonsense, and I have no intentions on joining your pathetic guild."

"You're the only one pathetic around here! Our master's guild is holy ground for us! There's no way we'd ever tell someone like y—" Lucy shouted in anger at him again, but a gravity spell made sure she wasn't able to finish her sentence.

"Lucy!" Why, you…!" Natsu's fury rose at the sight of Lucy getting crushed by this guy's spell. "Tell, us what do you want!?"

"The sparkle of fairies… Fairy Glitter… Said to be just as powerful as Fairy Law. It's one of your guild's three grand spells, isn't it?" Our opponent finally revealed what he was really after. Even so, I had never heard of these spells before.

"What!? No idea what you're talking about!" Natsu didn't seem to get it either, though his useless response was answered with the same gravity spell that Happy and Lucy suffered from just earlier.

"Tell me where I can find it, or I'll squash you until you pop!" I could tell he was starting to get impatient with us. None of us knew the location of Mavis's grave; even if we wanted to tell him, we couldn't. There had to be something we could do against him, but I was out of ideas… he was just too strong for us to handle.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel… The son of Igneel… I can't be forced to the ground… so easily!" Natsu slowly stood up, despite being under the full effect of the gravity spell, as he spoke. It wasn't the first time I'd seen Natsu pull off the impossible, but I was still amazed by it. His willpower was beyond anything I'd ever seen before. He began to run toward the man, his feet cracking the earth beneath him due to the heavy pressure he was under, and then managed to somehow jump while gathering all his power in his blazing fists.

"Fire Dragon…" But before he could finish his attack, the man hit him with a powerful spell that was seemingly cast instantly, sending him flying back in our direction again. Natsu was smashed into the ground and had trouble getting up again after that hit. To think even Natsu couldn't even touch this guy, what chance did we have against him?

"Is that Makarov lying over there?" He said after observing our small group once more. Our guild master was on the ground at a safe distance behind us. "Perfect. I can just ask him, then."

"Oh no, you won't!" Don't you dare mess with Gramps!" Natsu got up on his feet in an instant when he heard this guy was planning on using him to find the grave of our first master. "You'll have hell to pay –" He got ready to launch himself at the enemy again, but at that moment we were all hit by gravity spells, pushing us against the ground without any hope of breaking free from it. What were we supposed to do against an enemy this strong?

"Help us… Anyone…!" Lucy shouted in despair as we lied helplessly on the ground, forced down by powerful gravity magic. 

* * *

It looked like our time had run out. Our opponent was now slowly approaching us, not showing any sign of wanting to make haste. The effects of his spells were starting to weaken again, but even so, we had lost all hope of being able to fight back. All we could do is pray for a miracle to happen. And at that moment, our miracle made her appearance in the form of Cana.

"Is it you!?" She shouted from behind him as she stood on top of a large rock. He turned around to see who was speaking to him. I was thankful for Cana making her appearance with that excellent timing, but at the same time I wondered what she was planning on doing against a foe this strong. I didn't know exactly how strong she was, but if she wasn't classified as S-class wizard yet, she couldn't possibly be that much stronger than any of us here.

"Don't you dare hurt my friends anymore!" She leaped from the rock and threw a number of magic cards in the direction of the enemy, causing explosions on impact around him. "Fairy…" Her wrist glowed with a mysterious yellow light. But she was interrupted by a gravity spell, knocking her down to the ground.

"Is it possible she learned to use Fairy Glitter!?" Carla said in shock.

"Lucy… Sorry for ditching you… I betrayed you and our friendship. That was unforgivable." Cana spoke with sincerity as she got up again, weakened by the hit of the enemy's spell. "But trust me now. If I can hit him with this, it will defeat him!" She was confident that whatever she had acquired was going to win us this fight. It was likely she was talking about Fairy Glitter, then. But it wouldn't matter if her opponent wasn't going to give her the time to finish casting it; we'd somehow have to distract his attention from her to give her the chance.

Natsu and the others figured out the same thing and gathered their strength to stand up against this foe once more. However, before we were able to do anything, our enemy spread his arms and blasted all of us away with a powerful shockwave. "No one can move under the force my gravity." He followed up his attack with another powerful area-wide gravity spell, pressing us to the ground again. "Never did I imagine the spell I was searching for would so casually come to me." He walked up to Cana and made her levitate in the air, then cast a spell on her that put her in great pain. All we could do was watch as he continued to hurt her more. The gravity holding us down was too strong to get up from.

"Let me ask you a question girl. Are you capable of using Fairy Glitter?" This guy just kept on going with pointless talk. Still, this could actually work in our favour. As I had noticed from earlier, the effects of his gravity spells would start to fade away shortly after casting them. The longer he would keep his attention locked on Cana without killing her or stealing the spell, the more chance we would have at making a possible counter-attack to save her.

"Of course… I am…" Cana struggled to get those words out of her mouth, but even in this hopeless situation, she wasn't planning on giving up this fight.

"It's an ultra-difficult spell that gathers and compresses sunlight, moonlight, and starlight. A lowly wizard like you can't possibly use it." He continued to talk to her. Just a little more and the effects of his gravity spell would be weakened enough for us to move again. He then intensified the pressure on Cana, getting close to the point where she was getting completely crushed by the power of his spell. If there was a time to attack, it should be now. 

* * *

Natsu bashed his head into the ground. For a moment I thought he'd gone crazy, but then I sensed a large amount of magic power channelling through his body. He was about to do something.

"Fire Dragon… Roar!" The entire area around him began to crumble and flames were bursting through the countless of cracks in the ground. The effect of his spell spread toward our enemy who had his back turned to the rest of us all this time, catching him off-guard, and resulted in a fiery explosion at his feet. At this moment, I Prequipped myself in an instant and channelled a powerful Lightning Shock to add to our surprise attack, doubling the size of the explosion at our enemy's location.

It seemed our attacks had no effect on him at all, as he effortlessly blew us away without even showing a sign of being hurt by our combined attack. But with his focus on Cana gone, she was free to move again. "Nice one, you guys!" She thanked us with a smirk on her face and readied herself for what she'd been wanting to do all this time. "I can use this spell!"

She raised one of her arms and pointed her fist at the skies. "Assemble, o river of light guided by fairies!" With those words her whole arm began to shine brightly. A pillar of golden light surrounded her and shot up to the sky.

"Impossible…!" The enemy stared in shock at the light as the spell was being cast.

Rays of light broke through the dark rain clouds, causing the rainfall to cease. The entire sky then tore open and revealed a beautiful starry sky in motion. An otherworldly sight I'd never seen before, scary and beautiful at the same time. The ground trembled and I felt immense magic power gathering around Cana's location while all of this was happening… would this be enough to take down this foe, I wondered?

"Shine! To destroy the fangs of wickedness!" The star-filled sky completely lit up, then turned all dark. A wide circle of light appeared high above Cana. "Fairy Glitter!"

She lowered her fist and aimed it at the enemy standing in front of her. The circle of light rapidly descended and surrounded her target, then shrunk in size, wrapping itself around his body. The man was immersed in a blinding light as Cana channelled the power of the spell onto him through the magic him. I had to shield my eyes to not get blinded by its brilliance.

"Begone!"

As the Fairy Glitter spell was about to reach its final stage, the man went down on one knee and cast a spell of his own. Powerful light rays shot up from the ground all around the area, making it impossible to see anything for a brief period of time. An explosion of light followed and we were all knocked backward by the force of the impact. 

* * *

"You consider this enough skill to use Fairy Glitter? Don't make me laugh." The man emerged unscathed from the explosion. I couldn't believe it… Just how strong was he when Cana's spell had no effect on him. Even if what he said was true and Cana wasn't high level enough to fully utilise its full power, the immense amount of magic she'd gathered should've still done at least something.

"Are you aware that I can take the spell even after I kill you?" He said as he walked up to her. Rain started to fall from the sky again. She had completely lost the will to fight after seeing her spell had done nothing to him at all. Even we couldn't do anything but watch, as we were under the effects of heavy gravity again. This was looking absolutely hopeless.

"Now you'll fall to Hell." He aimed his hand at her and began to channel the energy to finish her off for good. Right then, a figure appeared out of nowhere, positioned between Cana and her opponent, and immediately blasted him with a spell that sent him flying backward.

No way. After all we'd gone through without even being able to touch him, this guy landed a full hit on him with such effect. As the dust of the impact of the hit settled, it was revealed our hero was none other than Gildarts.


	53. Chapter 51 - On The Offensive

.

 **CHAPTER 51  
ON THE OFFENSIVE**

"Get out of here." Gildarts ordered us as he kept his eyes intensely locked onto the opponent and began to power up. He was serious about taking this guy out all by himself. His opponent gazed back at him and also charged up magic energy. The tension between the two wizards was building with every passing second… Gildarts was right; we should be getting out of here. By staying we would only get in his way.

"Go!" He shouted, telling us one more time to leave, then charged at the enemy at full speed. An explosive battle followed, with merely the shockwaves of their punches blowing the rest of us away. It was amazing to see a fight of such high level wizards, but we really couldn't afford to waste any more time just sitting here and watching. The rest realised the same thing and we turned around, leaving it all up to Gildarts. He was the strongest wizard in our guild, and having just seen him in action, I had full confidence in his abilities to handle this foe on his own.

"Man, I can't believe we're missing out on the fight of the century!" Natsu complained loudly once we got safely away from the battlefield and entered the forest again.

"Meeting up with the others is more important right now!" Lucy harshely told him, and I fully agreed with her. Several of our other members were still scattered across the island, and possibly in danger. Getting back to the base camp and regroup should be our main priority for now. And so, we continued on our way back to the camp…

* * *

Suddenly, the ground started to shake. At first it was barely noticeable, and I thought they were just the result of Gildart's battle with the wizard from Grimoire Heart, but it rapidly grew in intensity until we could no longer ignore it. We all looked behind us to see what was causing the shaking and then saw the enormous tree, unique to this island, was tilted and slowly falling down.

"Ah! What's going on!?" Natsu yelled but continued to run. We were at least lucky the tree wasn't going to fall in this direction or else we wouldn't have been able to make it out of its way in time. At that moment, a shock went through my body and instantly drained me of all my strength and magic power. I fell on my knees and was unable to get back up.

"Guys…!?" I wanted to say something, but I felt so very dizzy, weakened and exhausted all at the same time, it was all I could utter at the moment.

"I… I'm out of strength." Wendy said and she, too, fell down, as did the others. Why were we all losing our power…? My consciousness slipped away before I could finish my thought process.

I opened my eyes again. So, I was still alive… not just that, I felt magic power flowing through my body again.

"What the…?" Natsu looked around in surprise as he got up.

"My… power is back?" Lucy and the others were experiencing the same thing. Whatever had just hit us earlier had been undone. "What just happened?" Lucy asked, but none of us could answer that. The thing that mattered was that we were still alive. I was thankful we weren't spotted by enemy forces during the period of time we were out, or things might not have looked so pretty for us now.

"Yeah… it's back all right! Let's go!" With his magic restored, Natsu was full with energy again. He ran off and we all followed behind him, in the direction of where the base camp was located.

* * *

Some time later… we finally made it back to the base camp. The whole area around it looked like it had been the place of numerous battles.

"Natsu! You guys are all back, thank goodness!" Levy greeted us as we approached the camp. She looked tired and wounded. With her were Freed and Bixlow, who weren't looking too great either. Four more wounded Fairy Tail members were here, but they were all out for the count. It seemed Gajeel still hadn't woken up since I'd last seen him… his condition must've been worse than I thought. Even Juvia and Mirajane were defeated in battle. To think some of Grimoire Heart's wizards even surpassed our S-rank members… I hoped Erza would be fine. She was still gone and I had no idea where she was and what she was doing right now.

"I'll heal them right away!" Wendy said and knelt down at our knocked out comrades.

"Oh! Hey, Natsu!" Lisanna suddenly appeared from behind one of the tents in the camp. "I know I wasn't selected as one of the participants for the trial, but Master asked me to come to help with the preparations and make food for you guys." She explained to him. "But then all of this happened…"

"I'm glad you're okay, Lisanna." Natsu said to her with a friendly smile.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do. But don't push yourself too hard healing everyone, Wendy." Lisanna turned her attention to Wendy when she saw she was already tending to the wounds of our members.

"Your magic power has been seriously over-taxed today. You need to rest for a little while." Carla adviced her, completely agreeing with what Lisanna said. Wendy didn't like it, but she knew her friends were right about her and cancelled her healing magic spell.

"Lisanna. What happened here?" Natsu inquired after looking around for a bit.

"That man over there…" She pointed at a guy lying unconscious a little away from the camp. "He attacked us here. I'm not sure why, but we suddenly lost our magic power afterward. Things were looking bad, but Freed and Bixlow fought him for us. Still… everyone has already been injured elsewhere… What are we going to do?" Lisanna's said weakly and looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"You're not allowed to cry, Lisanna! We're going to be okay!" Happy told her in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Happy's right." Lucy added.

"They're gonna pay." Natsu cracked his knuckles. Seeing all of our members in such a bad state was feeding his lust for battle and revenge for what Grimoire Heart has done. "They will pay for this."

"Grimoire Heart's ship is stationed right off the shoreline, just east of here." Lily said. "As we'll need to defend this spot, I suggest we split into two teams."

"One team will be offence, and the other team will be defence." Levy followed up. While I didn't like the idea of splitting up our forces yet again, it was going to be necessary if we wanted to beat Grimoire Heart. We need as many as we can to help fight their guild master, but we'd also need some to stay behind in case the camp gets attacked again.

"Before we decide on making teams, where are our missing members, Erza, Gray and Loke? And what do we know about the remaining enemies?" I asked.

"I don't know about Erza or Gray, but Loke has returned to the Celestial Spirit World after he won his battle against one of Grimoire Heart's members." Lucy directly answered.

"There's that girl that kicked Natsu's butt earlier uses Lost Magic that can control time. But she got away when that weirdo with the doll butted in." Happy told us.

"She didn't kick anyone's butt, and especially not mine." Natsu defended himself, but we had all seen the bad state he was in when Lucy and I bumped into him during our fight. Whoever she was, she wasn't a weakling.

"Say, Roth. Weren't you the one leaving the camp with Erza before this invasion happened? At least that's what I heard from Mira..." Lisanna asked me.

"We split up when we ran into an enemy. I don't know where she went to, and haven't seen her since then. As for the enemy, I made sure she won't wake up any time soon." I lied about the last part, but I had faith she wouldn't cause any more trouble for us.

* * *

"So, what's the strategy?" Natsu asked, starting to get bored of all the talk. "Because I'm ready to take down Hades! How about it, Lucy? Happy?"

"Aye, Sir!"

"M–Me? Wouldn't someone like Freed be a better choice?" Lucy said in surprise.

"We're a team, remember?" Happy told her with his paw held up.

"Happy's right. And I need to stay here and write an enchantment." Freed responded. He also wasn't in great shape.

"Leave the defence stuff to us!" Bixlow added with a grin and stuck out his tongue, like he often did after he finished saying something.

"I'm going with you, too!" Wendy stepped forward.

"Hold on, Wendy!" Carla tried to stop her from joining the team to confront Hades.

"They're going to need every bit of support they can get in this fight." She said with determination, and for once wouldn't let her companion hold her back.

"I'll come, too. I need to avenge Gajeel." Lily also showed up at Natsu's side.

"I'm going to stay and help Freed with his enchantment." Levy said.

"I'm going to stay with Big Sis, Mira, and Big Bro, Elf." Lisanna said.

"What'll you do, Roth?" Lucy asked me when she noticed I was the only one who hadn't decided yet.

"Obviously I'll be coming with you guys. Hades is going to pay for what he's done." I spoke without hesitation and joined Natsu's team. All of my magic power had been restored, so I'd be able to go all-out one more time. If this Hades guy was their master, he would surely be the strongest, meaning we'd need all the firepower we could get for this final fight, and so, I was planning to give it my all.

"It appears we have a plan of action." Freed concluded.

"Let's do it!" Natsu shouted, unable to hold in his excitement any longer.

"Yeah!" The rest of us shouted after him, and with that, we left.


	54. Chapter 52 - Knocking On Hell's Doors

.

 **CHAPTER 52  
KNOCKING ON HELL'S DOORS**

"Gray! Erza!"

We had only just left the camp when we bumped into two of our previously missing guildmates. They both looked like they'd gone through hell, yet Natsu asked whether they were up for getting some payback. To my surprise they both agreed to come; I guess they still had some fight left in them, then. I was glad they did, but I hoped they weren't going to overextend themselves by coming with us.

Just looking at the two, I wondered what kind of battles they'd fought. Especially Erza… I'd never seen her wounded like this before. Her foe must've been truly formidable.

It was only a short run to the eastern shoreline, and as soon as we got there, the large ship of Grimoire Heart became visible. On top of it was who I assumed to be their guild master, gazing down upon us as we approached. An old man with a long, silvery beard, and an eyepatch over his right eye. Despite his age, he looked strong, and there was definitely a powerful and mysterious aura surrounding him. He looked at us with eyes filled with lust for battle.

"So, you wish for the same treatment I gave your master?" He said, hoping to get a response out of us. "Come face your destruction, children of Makarov." With those words he walked away, leaving it up to us to find a way to get on the ship.

"Thinks he's so great." Gray said, not at all impressed with Hades's attitude towards us and Fairy Tail in general.

"If we can defeat that man in time, the rest of them will leave and the Council won't have to fire on us?" Wendy asked us.

"I suppose that's our plan. And if we can destroy their ship in the process, they'll have to swim back." I answered her.

"I got a favour to ask you guys." Natsu turned to the three Exceed who'd all come with us. "I need you to find and destroy whatever's powering this ship." He told them.

"Yeah, if it takes off it'll spell trouble, huh? At least for you?" Happy responded with a smile, referring to Natsu's motion sickness. Though he meant it as a joke, it was true we'd be in serious trouble if Natsu would be taken out of the fight due to something as silly as that.

"In that case, you can count on us." The Exceed agreed to Natsu's plan and went right ahead.

"Time to get this show on the road!" Gray said, not wanting to waste any more time standing around here, and formed a large staircase made of ice, leading up to the deck of the ship. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Natsu shouted and took the lead. We all followed, running up the icy stairs.

"As a wizard, he surpasses even our own master." Erza informed us as we made our way up. "Go all-out as soon as the battle starts!"

"Right!" Wendy responded boldly to Erza's words.

I shivered at the thought of a wizard even stronger than our guild master, but Erza's plan was solid. Against an enemy this strong, we couldn't afford to drag things out. We'd have to try to overwhelm him and finish him off as fast as possible. Even though he's stronger than all of us individually, we do have the number advantage over him. I cast Prequip and took the Lightning Edge in both my hands, preparing myself for this final battle against Grimoire Heart's guild master, Hades.

"I'll hit him with everything I got!" Gray said in response to Erza's plan.

"We have to live and fight for the moment!" Lucy added.

"I can finally thrash him!" Natsu roared with excitement. "I'm all fired up now!" 

* * *

With his fists engulfed by flames, Natsu jumped into the air as soon as he reached the top. "Have a taste of Fairy Tail's power!" He then launched a pillar of fire shooting from his hand at Hades who was calmly standing there, waiting for us to come at him. A massive, fiery explosion at his location followed, but Hades wasn't even moving an inch.

"Fairy Tail's… power?" He merely responded, unimpressed with the result of Natsu's attack.

Erza with her Black Wing Armour and weapon and Gray wielding the enormous Cold Excalibur blade charged at him once the flames of Natsu's attack had dissipated, resulting in yet another explosion, this time a combination of light and ice crystals.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull!" Lucy summoned Tauros, one of her strongest Celestial Spirits. Without making any silly remarks for once, he jumped straight at the enemy, smashing him with the hugely oversized axe he wielded. "Fierce… Mooove!"

"By the grace of the winds, strike fiercely, move swiftly, and be free of all harm! Arms! Armour! Vernier!" Wendy combined all of her support magic and cast it onto the rest of us simultaneously. Amongst all of this chaos I found it hard to find a chance to get in a hit in myself without getting in the way of the others, and so I joined Wendy in casting support. This time I would do it without failing, I thought to myself, not allowing myself to mess up again.

"Tide of the arcane spirits that flow through the heavens…! Invoke!" I established connections with everyone in here and channelled magic through to them, further enhancing their magical damage output and refilling their pool of magic power. I had been practising on getting this spell right, and I finally got it to work; though now was not the time to celebrate.

Erza and Gray made another charge at Hades, this time their bodies boosted with all of the enchantments from Wendy and me. Hades was forced to dodge their attacks, being aware of the fact that their strength had been enhanced to a level that could even put him in danger if he were to get hit by their attacks. Erza appeared right behind him, but he had already seen her. He evaded her sword slash and retaliated with a magic chain spell that grabbed her at her throat and then slung her away, throwing her against Gray who hadn't seen it coming.

Natsu took advantage of the moment in which Hades was busy controlling the magic chain with Erza attached to it and jumped at him from above with another fire technique. "Fire Dragon… Wing Attack!" Hades couldn't get himself away from Natsu's attack in time and took the full hit. Still, he recovered quickly and hit Natsu in the back of his head with a new chain spell and swung him around the battlefield. Luckily for him, Erza was already back on her feet and sliced the chain that was holding Natsu.

"Natsu!" I shouted and threw a low-flying Blitzerang in his direction. "Got it!" Natsu gave a quick nod and hopped on top of the Blitzerang, effectively turning it into some kind of an electric, spinning surfboard.

"Sky Dragon… Roar!" Wendy, standing behind us, launched a powerful roar attack, further boosting the speed at which Natsu was flying. "Scorpio!" Lucy's Celestial Spirit blasted a sand tornado, merging with Wendy's roar for more power. "Catch this!" Gray threw a gigantic hammer made of ice, which Natsu caught, and prepared to smack Hades on the head with.

"A Unison Raid!? Hades said in surprise at seeing our combination attack; at the speed at which Natsu was flying at him, he'd be unable to get out of the way. A mighty and colourful explosion of lightning, fire, sand and ice occurred when Natsu and all of our magic made their impact and sent Hades flying to the back of the ship.

My Blitzerang with Natsu no longer on it, returned itself to me, restoring some of the magic energy I'd put into it. The amount of power we had thrown into our combined attack surely must have done something, I thought to myself, as I watched the smoke of the explosion slowly clear, waiting to see the result of our attack. 

* * *

"People refer to their mistakes as 'experience'." Guild master Hades calmly stepped out of the cloud of dust and smoke still covering the location of impact, not showing a sign of being harmed by our attack whatsoever. "But, true mistakes do not leave mistakes behind. For you have no future left after making the mistake of opposing me."

"No way…!" Wendy said in shock. We all felt the same. If that attack didn't even manage to scratch him, then how were we supposed to beat him? Even Natsu and Erza couldn't believe their eyes at the sight of Hades taking all of our combined power this well.

"Now, then. Are we finished with the warm-up exercises?" Hades spoke and began to charge himself with magic energy. As he continued to gather power, the air in the room started vibrating. This amount of magic power he was building up was unreal, possibly even higher than the wizard we had left up to Gildarts to fight.

"Ready yourselves!" Erza warned us. I took a few steps back and took a defensive stance. Observing the enemy didn't give me much information. While Hades was now charged up with magic energy, he just stood there with his arms crossed. It was impossible to read what he'd do next. With how much magic he had surrounded himself with, I couldn't tell what or where to he was channelling it to. I'd just to have to prepare for the worst and focus everything on defence.

"Katsu!" Out of nowhere, he roared the name of an attack, so loud that it hurt my ears. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, but then a quick flash of light showed up around Wendy, and in an instant she completely disappeared, only leaving her clothes behind. It all happened so fast, I couldn't even register what just happened. Wendy… was gone? How? All of the air in the room returned to normal, but Hades kept a powerful magic aura around him.

"Wendy! No!" Natsu yelled in desperation. We all blankly stared at her empty clothes falling to the ground. I couldn't believe that she was killed just like that.

"Eradicated without a trace, huh? How trifling." Hades spoke, seemingly mildly amused by watching our reaction. "Shall I dispose of the rest of you now, one by one?"

"Please calm down, everyone." A voice I didn't recognise spoke up. Where was it coming from, I wondered, and looked around. "I'm up here." It then said, as though it had read my confused mind. I looked up and saw an antique grandfather clock with hands and feet holding itself attached to the ceiling of the room. "… is what she says."

"Horologium!" Lucy said, surprised to see her Celestial Spirit there when she hadn't even summoned using her key.

"What a relief…" Gray said with a smile, understanding what the clock just had done. I, however, didn't get it. What did this clock have to do with anything, and why was it talking to us?

"My automatic danger detection mode activated just in time." It explained. "Thank you, Mr. Horologium… is what she says."

"So, why did her clothes fall off?" Natsu asked the important question.

"As it was an emergency, I protected only her." The clock calmly replied as if that was all.

"Wait! Are you saying Wendy's inside and completely…" Gray yelled in shock and failed to hide a slight blush on his cheeks. I was now getting what happened… So Wendy was actually inside this clock thing guy, who was actually one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits, and managed to save her just before Hades's spell hit her.

"Eek! … is what she says. I'll provide new clothing for her." The clock spoke. "This is the only time I can offer my protection. Please be extra careful, everyone." It then disappeared and Wendy fell down from the ceiling, wearing a new set of clothes.

"Thanks, Horologium." Lucy thanked her Celestial Spirit for saving Wendy's life. 

* * *

"So this is what Makarov's little ones are made of. Amusing, indeed." Hades showed a little surprise by seeing his technique had actually failed to hit its target.

"You know Gramps?" Natsu inquired when he heard Hades mention our guild master by his name.

"Oh, you aren't aware?" Hades responded. "Have records of me been expunged from the guild's library as well? I was once Fairy Tail's second master." He stroked his beard. "I went by the name 'Precht'."

"You lie!" Natsu shouted in anger. He didn't want to believe this man, who was our enemy and threatened the existence of our guild, to be part of our guild's history.

"It was I who appointed Makarov as the third master." He continued to talk, ignoring Natsu's reaction.

"Yeah, right! I've had enough of your nonsense!" Natsu couldn't take any more of his talk and charged at him, but Hades easily caught him inside a powerful spell before he could get to him. As he shot down Natsu, he began firing spells at the rest of us as well. A volley of small, yet painful energy bombs came our way; there were too many to simply dodge or block. I got struck by one, then two, and more kept on coming; I couldn't even find a chance to set up a defensive barrier. We fell to the ground, unable to shield ourselves from any of it. After a while it finally stopped, but having taken this many hits had drained me a good bit of my energy.

"Tell me. Do fairies have tails or not?" It's an eternal mystery… And thus an eternal adventure… I believe that's how the guild's name name came about, yes?" He calmly spoke to us while we lied on the ground, just barely recovering from his previous attack. "However… your adventure is about to end." He walked up to Natsu and planted his boot on top of his head, who was to weak to fight back in his current state.

"Mavis's will was entrusted to me, and my will was entrusted to Makarov. But that was the mistake. Makarov changed the guild." He explained to us.

"What nonsense are you spouting off?" Natsu asked him.

"He exposed magic to too much sunlight." Hades plainly answered.

"That's how our Fairy Tail does things!" Natsu defended our guild. "We don't live as dead, heartless people like you! We live with our lives on the line, dammit! If you don't got the courage to change, then just stand still right where you are!"

"You annoy me, imp." Hades said, not impressed by Natsu's words and burst of anger, and shot him with a magic spell again and again, and kept on going. "If you begrudge anyone, make it Makarov. It is because of him that you will now die painfully."

"Stop!" Erza shouted desperately. She couldn't take it any longer to see Natsu in this much pain. But she, too, was drained of a lot of her magic energy.

"I won't… let you get away… with hurting Gramps…." Natsu slowly got up again, even though his whole body was hurting from all the magic attacks it had taken.

"Enough. Begone." Hades pointed his finger at him and charged a much more powerful spell this time. The amount of magic he was gathering was reaching dangerous levels. Natsu had to get out of there or he could very well die. 

* * *

In that instant, the whole room got lit up by a blinding yellow light, followed by the loud crash of thunder. Surrounded by sparks of electricity, Laxus stood there between Natsu and Hades; I could sense a mighty source of energy all around him. This really was the man I had least expected to see making his appearance at this time. Hadn't Makarov kicked him out of the guild after that whole Battle of Fairy Tail thing he set up shortly after I joined the guild? In that case, what was he doing here, I wondered.

"So this guy took out Gramps, huh?" He said as he observed Hades standing before him. Neither him nor his opponent looked intimidated by the other. I knew very little of Laxus's combat abilities, except that it had taken quite a lot from Fairy Tail to bring him down during his act of rebellion against the guild. He might very well be the reinforcements we needed to win this battle.

"What are you doing here, Laxus?" Erza questioned him. While I was thankful for his arrival, I wouldn't mind knowing what brought him here either.

"I came to pay my respects to the first guild master. I did used to be a member of Fairy Tail, after all." Was his answer. Well, wasn't that convenient; having him show up on the exact same day we had our S-class trial and an all-out invasion from Grimoire Heart all on the same day. Well, whatever. As long as he was on our side, I wasn't going to complain. "Since I'm here, I might as well dig a grave for our second guild master." He began to power up even more. Without ever having seen him in action yet, I could already tell his magic energy was far above mine.

"My, my. To think that boy had such pretentious kin…" Hades responded and also began to charge himself with magic. The ground was shaking lightly under the pressure of the two wizards increasing their power levels. Laxus taking on Hades was a great opportunity for me to catch some breath and replenish some of my own energy.

With a thundering blow of his fist, Laxus punched Hades away at full power and immediately chased after him as to not give him a chance to recover from the first strike. While he did manage to land some direct hits on him, Hades appeared to take his attacks fairly well, though Laxus just kept on launching attack after attack at him. A beam of lightning shot from his mouth forced Hades into evading, and ripped through the walls of the ship, as if it was made of paper. Slowly but surely, Hades was creating more distance between him and his opponent, allowing him to fight back more effectively again. Laxus successfully dodged the magic chain spell coming at him, but then landed right inside of one of Hades's other spells that he cast right after it.

"Is this an Amaterasu Formula…!?" Laxus looked in shock at the multiple spell circles surrounding him.

"Perish!"

A huge, dark ball of magic appeared at his location, so powerful that even we were blown away by the shockwaves of the impact.

"Those hit by this lose all strength in their limbs and become immobilised." Hades conveniently explained while watching the smoke clear. "Even blocking it consumes so much magic power that it's fatal…" Right then, a bolt of lightning shot from the cloud formed by the explosion and manoeuvred itself behind Hades; Laxus appeared from it and kicked him in the back before he could even react to it. That spell he just used… it reminded a lot of my Lightning Step technique.

"That was only strong enough for one leg." Laxus apparently wasn't affected that much by Hades's spell earlier. He charged at Hades again, with his fist fully charged with lightning magic. Hades mirrored his movement and their fists collided, resulting in a massive explosion of lightning and dark magic. 

* * *

"Oh? What's the matter?" Hades emerged victorious from the clash between him and Laxus, with the latter appearing on his knees when vision over the battlefield finally returned.

"Laxus!" Natsu shouted. He was our strongest fighter and our only hope in this fight against the guild master. With him down, and Hades still in good condition, things weren't looking bright for us. That last spell by Hades must be taking its toll on him, then…

"Heh, the world really is a big place… Never knew there were monsters out there like this guy… I still got a long way to go." Laxus stated, openly admitting this enemy was way out of his league.

"Don't be stupid!" Natsu wouldn't accept Laxus's defeat like that.

"Very impressive, Laxus, or whatever you name is. But it ends now." Hades spoke and once again raised his power level. "It's time for you to be gone!" A beam of black energy shot from the palm of his hand, aimed straight at Laxus who was still down on his knees and unable to defend himself from it.

"Laxus!"

Right before the impact of the beam, Laxus stomped the ground with his fist and was surrounded by a bright light. In an instant, I felt a huge source of lightning magic filling my body, charging my magic energy to levels way above I'd ever experienced before. Laxus took the full hit from Hades's attack, blown away by the explosion and fell into a hole that led to the lower parts of the ship.

"This one's… my treat…" He spoke weakly as he fell down. "Natsu… Rookie…" It seemed I wasn't the only one who received Laxus's gift; Natsu's body was radiating with electricity, just like me. "It's… all of my magic power…"

"Why did you give it to me… you know I'm weaker than you…" Natsu questioned him.

"It ain't about being stronger or weaker. He wounded Fairy Tail's master. What's the point unless someone with the guild's emblem takes him down!? Any pain the guild receives it needs to pay back…! A hundred-fold."

"Y-Yeah." Natsu responded and finally seemed to get this new elemental magic under his control. His body was surrounded by a mix of fire and lightning.

"Rookie. I heard good things about you. As a lightning wizard, don't waste what I'm giving you!" Laxus directed his words to me. I didn't know how to feel about this. In my eyes he'd always been Fairy Tail's enemy, even after the Battle of Fairy Tail ended. To receive all this from him, and seeing him put his faith in me and my abilities… It was time to put the past behind me; he was no longer the enemy.

"I'll do my best. For you, and for Fairy Tail." I replied and began to reach into my new pool of magic power. My body felt like it was overflowing with energy, it was hard to control all of it at once, yet I was the strongest I'd ever been. Maybe we still had a chance against Hades with this new power.

"It's payback time… times a hundred."


	55. Chapter 53 - Daybreak On Tenrou Island

.

 **CHAPTER 53  
DAYBREAK ON TENROU ISLAND**

It would be up to Natsu and me to win this battle now. With the both of us having received a significant boost in magic power from Laxus, we might still have a chance at winning this.

The air inside the room we were in was literally electrifying, with tiny sparks flying everywhere due to our inability to control all of our energy at once. My body was slightly trembling from the overwhelming amount of magic that was inside me… This surely had to be enough to take down Hades, I thought hopefully, as I tried to stabilise my flow of magic.

Natsu roared like a beast; I could sense his magic level increasing tremendously in a matter of seconds. Then, in a flash he was right in front of Hades and bashed him in the face with his fiery fist. Hades crashed into a wall, but before he could retaliate, Natsu shot a powerful lightning strike at him. All right, this was my chance to get a hit in.

"Advanced Storm Technique! Tempest Break!" With Hades stunned by Natsu's spell, I launched myself at him, through the wall of gusts that was surrounding him, and threw a barrage of lightning-charged punches at him. The Strong gusts of wind created by my spell around us kept on pushing my target back at me, leaving him continuously wide open to my attacks. Earlier in my fight against the pink-haired girl I lacked the stamina to successfully pull off this technique to its fullest potential, but with all the magic energy I possessed now, I was able to go all-out. Each strike with my fist was with the intent of inflicting as much damage as possible, aiming at vulnerable spots of his body. Despite landing my hits where I wanted with as much power as I could use, they didn't feel like they were as effective against him as much as I'd like. That body of his, it was so sturdy. To take all these hits from us and still being in good enough shape to stand up… I had no time to finish my thoughts. I finished my combo attack with an uppercut that sent Hades flying upward and revoked the wall of gusts around us to let Natsu have another go at him while I backed off for a bit to gather more energy.

"You're gonna pay for hurting our guild!" Natsu charged in, blinded by rage, as soon as I ended my technique and walloped Hades with another one of his fiery punches. Hades was still unable to properly defend himself against the two of us, as we kept on coming at him with all we got without giving him a chance to recover. Natsu's hits struck with such force, Hades was sent flying again and before he was able to even touch the ground again, Natsu threw a giant bomb of lightning and fire at him that exploded with immense power on impact. Despite all that, Hades jumped out of the blast and this time he threw one of his magic chain spells at both Natsu and me, binding our hands together.

"Now your hands are useless!" Hades laughed, thinking he'd rendered us unable to fight back now. This technique of his might have worked on me before, but with the power I now possessed, I managed to break the chain on my hands by with a burst of lightning. Natsu as well had no trouble breaking free from Hades's spell. Hades couldn't believe his eyes when he saw us countering his technique so easily. Natsu had gone completely mad since he received the power-up from Laxus. The aura around him became increasingly more intense, as he was charging up magic energy for another big spell. I followed his example and grabbed as much magic as I could within this short time-frame. With this much magic energy at my disposal, I would be able to push my existing techniquest to the limit… no, beyond that. The flow of magic inside me was like a raging ocean, no matter how much I seemed to grab from it, there seemed no limit to it, and no way to properly control it.

* * *

"New Advanced Lightning Technique! Grand Lightning Cannon!" The sword I held in both my hands, with the tip aimed at Hades, shattered in tiny pieces. In its place, a magic blade the size of at least ten regular swords, materialised, with the bottom end of the crossguard resting on the ground, as with how much it weighed, there was no way I'd be able to hold it up normally. Channelling as much magic to the blade of the giant sword, it began to glow brightly and lightning bolts shot in random directions, as more magic energy was sent to it.

"Lightning Flame Dragon… Roar!" Natsu released a huge blast of fire and lightning from his mouth at Hades. At that very moment, I too, unleashed the fury of my spell. A beam, several metres in width, of raw lightning was fired from the blade, flying parallel to Natsu's roar. Our combined spells blew through the wall behind Hades, tearing a huge gaping hole in the ship. I was sure this had to be the end of Hades; right now he was taking the full hit of both our attacks. Yet, I continued to channel more magic to keep firing. Suddenly, in the middle of this all, a stinging pain went through my head, severely loosening my concentration. I had to cut off the flow of magic and dematerialised the gigantic magic blade again… with this headache I wasn't going to be able to use my remaining power to this extent any longer. Natsu's roar went on for several more seconds before finally subsiding. As quickly as it had come, the pain in my head now disappeared. That was incredibly unfortunate timing, but at least I had still been able to do a ton of damage. There was an enormous hole in the ship where our beams had been fired at, and I could see Hades lying on the ground… had we defeated him?

"I warned ya… not to mess with us…" Natsu weakly said and smirked, then lost his balance and fell down. It seemed Natsu really had used up all of his magic with that one attack, and I could feel I had lost a significant portion of mine as well. But if this was the end of Hades, that wouldn't matter.

"Natsu!" Lucy ran to his side to check if Natsu was doing fine.

"It's all over now." Gray declared.

"We won!" Wendy shouted happily.

I just smiled, glad it was finally over. Even though I wasn't as drained of magic energy as Natsu, the effects of using this much more magic than I was accustomed to at once were becoming noticeable, as I began to feel my body weakening. I couldn't wait to get back to Magnolia and spend a full day resting at home…

* * *

"Impressive youngsters, indeed." A voice I really didn't want to hear right now spoke. No, it couldn't be… even after Natsu and I unleashed the full extent of our power at him, he still was able to get back up and fight? Everyone looked in terror in the direction Hades was lying. "Well done, Makarov… These are some truly frightening ones you have raised." He slowly got up again while he spoke to us. "How many decades has it been since I was last trounced like this?" Using his magic, he restored his tattered clothes.

"No way!" Gray exclaimed.

"Exterminating you now would be a trifling matter, but I really must thank you for entertaining me so." Hades removed his eyepatch.

"That attack didn't work!?" Erza took a step back in shock after seeing Hades getting up again.

"Devil's Eye… open." His uncovered eye was all red and glowing, something I'd never seen before. And going by the name of his technique, it didn't sound like it was going to spell any good for us. This was bad… all of us were low on magic power and not in good condition to fight for much longer. If it was true Hades still hadn't even shown us his true powers, there was no way we were going to stand a chance against him. Not even with the remainder of Laxus's energy I think I'd be able to make the difference. Furthermore, my body was heavily aching from the stress I put it through with my last technique. This didn't look good at all.

"Allow me to give you a special demonstration." A dark purple stream of magic circled around Hades, and I could sense his magic power rising once again. "The Abyss of Sorcery. From here extends a realm that far surpasses your imaginations."

We all silently stared at him and the dark aura surrounding him, as he readied to cast this spell. There wasn't anything we could do to stop him. The amount of magic power he was gathering rose to levels that I hadn't ever felt before, and it only kept on increasing. I glanced at Erza, and could see the look of disbelief and fear in her eyes. That, more than anything else, crushed all my hopes of standing up against him.

"This is the end, Fairy Tail."

"D-Damn…" Natsu stomped his fist on the ground. He didn't want to admit defeat. "I don't even got the strength left to move…"

"Natsu! Pull yourself together! Please!" Lucy tried to help him.

"I can't… My body…" It was no use. He really must have used up every last bit of his energy in his last attack.

"To walk the path of sorcery is to sink into its abyss of eternal darkness. What lies there is primordial magic that shines like the heavens. It's close. The primordial magic is close at hand. But that 'close' exists ever deeper. And what fills those depths Is the Grand Magic World. The world of Zeref." Hades explained to us what he was seeking, as he entered the final stage of casting his spell. "Tonight, Zeref will awaken and the world will change. And then it will at last be mine… The primordial magic!"

"We cannot allow that to happen." Erza said. It seemed she had recovered somewhat from her initial shock and was actually ready to fight one more time.

"But there is no place for you in the Grand Magic World. For you lack the resolve to reach for the Abyss." He spread his arms, as he spoke and his aura grew even darker. "From the Book of Zeref, Chapter 4, Verse 12… Arcane Magic: Nemesis!" All the air surrounding us turned dark. From the debris around him, a number of large and powerful demons appeared. These creatures didn't look like anything I'd ever seen before; not like anything that should exist in the normal world we knew.

"With the magic power of the Abyss, from the earth I can even create nightmares. Devilish dancers and heavenly arbiters… Such is the supremacy of Arcane Magic!"

Each one of these demons were a mass of magic power far exceeding our own. Even taking down one of them would be an impossible task for us in our current state. I silently cursed myself for not being stronger… If only I wasn't this weak, we might have been able to win this. Coming to the realisation of my own shortcomings, fear began to take over my thoughts. Was this going to be the end of us…? There was no way out of this nightmare. Not unless we'd be able to beat Hades.

* * *

"Don't worry. We got everything we need to beat this guy right here with us." Natsu said softly, his voice piercing the shroud of darkness and despair surrounding all of us. "There is nothing wrong with fear. To fear is to know your own weakness. And knowing your weakness can make you stronger and kinder." It sounded like he was quoting someone else's words. All of us looked at him and listened to what he had to say. "We've learned how weak we are. So what do we do next?" He got up on his feet again as he spoke. "We grow stronger! And stand up to him! We might be too afraid to do anything alone… But we're right here with each other. We have friends right here with us! There's nothing to be afraid of! We're not alone!" He shouted.

"Admirable peacockery. But that, too, ends now." Hades responded to Natsu's speech, but none of us were listening to him. Natsu's words sparked hope and courage inside of us.

"With friends at your side…"

"…There's nothing to fear."

"Even if we have no magic power left…"

"…We won't give up until the very end…"

"That's the Fairy Tail way!"

This spark of hope and courage ignited into a raging fire, burning away the pain and exhaustion I'd been suffering from. Right now there was only one thing to do: to defeat Hades with all we got. Once more, I gathered the remaining magic energy inside of me; I still had my reserves to take from.

"Let's do it!" Natsu yelled and we all dashed straight at Hades and his legion of demons.

"What can you possibly hope to do against me?" Hades yelled. "Now, dance! Devils of earth!" On his command, the demons fired numerous beams and bombs of dark magic energy in our direction, each blast powerful enough to completely obliterate us if they hit. Yet we kept charging forward at full speed, evading whatever was thrown at us; there was no going back at this point.

Natsu, who had suffered the most injuries and spent the most magic during the fight had trouble keeping up with us. In the corner of my eye I could see he wasn't going to make it… despite giving it his all, his legs were too weakened. Lucy and Wendy, who ran just in front of him noticed the same thing and both grabbed one of his hands, and then threw him forward with a mighty swing, giving him enough speed and momentum to fly through the air. Though there was still too much distance to cover… Gray and Erza both knew what to do. Right when Natsu flew past them, they connected one of their feet with each of Natsu's, then launching him onward with even more speed.

Then, it looked like it would be up to me to charge him with enough magic power to deal the finishing blow. Luckily, Natsu was able to eat magic just fine, because I wouldn't have the time or concentration to cast Invoke at this very moment. I took all the magic I had still left in me and formed it all in a concentrated ball of lightning, forming in the palm of my hand. With my remaining strength, I threw the lightning bolt in front of him. Without hesitation he swallowed it and immediately regained his Lightning Flame Dragon mode again. Now all that was needed was for him to hit Hades with all he's got.

"I'll send you in the depths of darkness! It's time for the sun to set, Fairy Tail!" Hades's power rose once again and launched another barrage of dark magic beams at us, but Natsu went at such speed, they weren't able to catch him before his attack made impact with him. A bright orange light engulfed the room, followed by a large explosion seconds later that destroyed the entirety of the upper deck of the ship.. Through the smoke and dust I could see Natsu having successfully landed his final move on Hades, knocking him straight out of his Arcane Magic spell.

"Th–This can't be! My Arcane Magic had no effect!?" Hades had lost his dark aura and I sensed his magic power was greatly diminished after Natsu's attack. "Impossible! My magic is…!" He placed a hand over his glowing red eye; it looked like something was causing him pain. Something was strange about this all, I thought… He was having the upper hand all this time, yet he suddenly lost the majority of his power in a single moment. It didn't make sense. Hades was thinking the same thing; there was a look of confusion and anger on his face, as he tried to comprehend what just happened to him. Natsu, however, hesitated not to take this opportunity to strike Hades with a mighty uppercut.

* * *

Cracks started to appear in the summoned demons, which then crumbled to dust. All of the power they had stored inside them was completely gone. At that same time, I suddenly felt a warm, familiar energy flowing through my body, rapidly returning my lost magic energy and abating my pain and exhaustion. I looked in the direction of the island, and to my surprise saw the Tenrou Tree standing up again. How did this all happen, I wondered. The others were just as confused as I was about all of this. The surprises didn't end when suddenly the guild emblem on my hand began to shine brightly, filling me up with even more magic energy.

With our energy restored, Natsu continued to beat up Hades, who was somehow still standing. Though it wasn't over just yet. Out of nowhere, Hades struck back, hitting Natsu with several powerful moves and knocking him back. "Stay back!" He yelled furiously. "Until the day I stand above all others who follow the path of sorcery, the devil within me will never sleep!" It appeared he still had some fight left in him, but it was clear he was driven into a corner and was acting purely out of desperation.

Suddenly, a figure appeared right before him, and in one swift movement punched him right in the face. Laxus… he had returned. Even though he was no member of Fairy Tail any more, had he, too, received the blessing of the Tenrou Tree? "Do it, Fairy Tail!" He shouted, pushing us to finish the job. Well, he was right. It was time we put an end to this. Hades was through pretty much all of his energy and we were completely restored again. If this wasn't going to be our victory, then I didn't know what would be. Natsu agreed and went into Lightning Flame Dragon mode once more.

"We don't have a contract yet, but… Open! Gate of the Sea-Goat! Capricorn!" Lucy held up one of her golden keys, that glowed with a golden light upon calling the spirit within. A tall, bipedal goat wearing a black suit and shades appeared at her side. "Take him down!" She ordered him, and immediately he made a charge at Hades and unleashed a combo of close combat techniques at him.

"I want to get a hit in, too!" Wendy appeared up in the air, behind Hades, with her arms charged with Wind Magic. "Sky Dragon… Wing Attack!" Tornadoes formed around her arms and were blown at Hades, striking him with mighty gusts of wind and sent him tumbling over. When did Wendy even learn that spell, I wondered. This was the first time I'd seen her use it.

Before Hades could even get back up, Gray showed up above him with an Ice spell prepared already. "Ice Make Sword… Ice Bringer!" He formed two large swords made of ice and slashed Hades in a cross motion.

"Requip! Heaven's Wheel!" Erza stormed at him with her silver winged armour and dual swords, and struck him with a swift combo attack, consisting of multiple slash attacks in a matter of a mere split second. "Pentagram Sword!"

It was my time for me to get a hit in on him; this was the perfect opportunity for me to try out one of my other close combat spells that I'd practised on in the week before the trial. I channelled a large portion of my magic into my right arm, charging it so much that it started to glow and emanate electric energy. "New Technique! Meteor Flash!" I Lightning Stepped straight at Hades, but instead of completely halting my movement as I normally would, I used the extreme momentum to strike him with a lightning-charged uppercut at full power. Whereas it had felt my punches had little effect on him before, I was sure he felt this one. I would've loved to punish him some more, but it seemed Natsu was itching to have a go at him next, so I retreated to create room. Natsu roared and charged at him, one hand surrounded with lightning, the other with flames.

"Grimoire Law!" With nowhere else to go and about to be finished off, Hades gathered the last pieces of magic power inside him in an attempt to defend himself and take us all down with him. He put his hands together and a compact, dark-purple ball of powerful energy formed. Natsu saw what he was trying to do and increased his speed even further, then jumped into the air right before him. "Advanced Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"

"I–I'm too late…!" Hades realised he wasn't going to be able to finish casting his spell before Natsu would hit him.

"Flame Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!" Natsu made a circular motion in mid-air and became surrounded in a violent vortex of lightning and fire, that he then directed at Hades to finish him off with. Hades wasn't able to guard against the overwhelming power Natsu threw at him and screamed as he took the full hit from his attack. I could sense all of his magic energy vanishing; this time we had him for sure… there was no way to recover for him after that.

* * *

A bright light appeared from behind the horizon, slowly lighting up the clear sky. It sure was nice to see the sunrise after all this darkness. With how busy we'd been since this whole invasion started, I had completely lost track of time.

Hades lied motionless on the ground, completely knocked out from that last attack. Natsu silently stood there for a moment, then threw up his fists in the air and let out a victory roar. "Fairy Tail… is the greatest!"

Finally… we made it. I still couldn't believe we actually did it. Hades had seemed so strong before… unbeatable even. To think we still managed to achieve victory…This guild, it really is the greatest.

"I'm glad that's over." Gray smiled.

"So I guess, that means we won, huh?" Wendy said happily.

"Ah! Please help us!" Happy and Carla, with Lily close behind them, came running our way. "Help, Natsu!"

"You guys… what is it now?" Natsu replied slightly annoyed, not wanting to deal with any more stress right after our battle.

A large cloud of dust that showed some distance behind the three cats revealed a whole bunch of Grimoire Heart armed grunts that were chasing after them.

"Talk about bad timing." Gray said as he watched the enemy approaching. While quite a bit of our magic energy had been restored since the revival of the Tenrou Tree, we spent almost all of it on finishing off Hades and we were all feeling tired and exhausted. These nameless grunts weren't exactly difficult to handle, but this many of them would still be a pain to fight off. I prepared for the worst and Prequipped myself with armour and weapon again, although I wasn't sure if I had enough energy left in me to put up much of a fight.

"Enough!" Guild master Makarov, accompanied by everybody else who stayed behind at the camp earlier, suddenly appeared and stepped forward, facing the enemy forces.

"Gramps!" Natsu yelled happily. What a relief to see the others all doing okay and arriving just in time to help us out against these guys. Even Gajeel was amongst them… so he'd finally woken up. But of course. The Tenrou Tree's blessing must have revived them, too.

"There's more of 'em!" "I–Is that Makarov!?" The group of masked grunts murmured and they all took a step back at the sight of the newly arrived group of Fairy Tail wizards joining us. "Whoa! Look over there!" One of them spotted Hades lying unconsciously on the ground near us. "Master Hades… has been beaten!?"

"I order you to leave this island immediately!" Makarov spoke loudly, though it was quite unnecessary. Seeing all of Fairy Tail grouped together and their guild master defeated, they ran away as fast as they could. With the last of the enemies finally gone, it was time for a celebration.


	56. Chapter 54 - Violent Whispers

.

 **CHAPTER 54  
VIOLENT WHISPERS**

"Yo, Gajeel! You missed out on all the action." I said with a grin as I walked up to him.

"…" Gajeel didn't look too happy. I guessed he was a little embarrassed for having gotten knocked out of action so early on, especially considering his opponents hadn't even been part of Grimoire Heart's elite forces.

"You're not looking too great. What happened to you?" I teased him. It felt great to have finally found a moment to do so. It's something I've always wanted to do, but it's not easy with someone like him.

"Oh, shut it…"

"I can heal your injuries, if you'd like." Wendy said with a friendly smile.

With a "hmph", Gajeel turned around. Obviously he didn't want to give me more material to tease him about at this moment. Well, I was sure he was going to be fine, with or without Wendy's healing.

"All right! Let's continue with the trial!" Natsu yelled enthusiastically.

"Right now!?" Happy answered in shock.

"They interrupted the second round, so it doesn't count! So let's just battle it out all nice and simple!" Natsu suggested with a devilish grin on his face and punched air.

"Are you crazy in the head or something!?" Gajeel slammed his forehead against Natsu's and yelled at him. "Do you seriously think you can beat me in your condition!?"

"Stop, Gajeel." Levy appeared beside him, but was completely ignored by the two.

"Yep! It'll be a cinch!" Natsu laughed and made an even crazier face. "I'm a Lightning Flame Drag–" He suddenly looked like he was about to pass out, then fell backwards onto the ground.

"Don't go passing out on me, you wimp!" Gajeel shouted in anger.

"Why don't we return to the camp for now?" Wendy wisely suggested. It was for sure a much better idea than what Natsu suggested and everyone else thought so too.

* * *

Back at the camp, Natsu, who had been carried there by Capricorn, was still fast asleep and was actually snoring so loudly I didn't want to stay around too close to him.

"So you finally figured out how to control wind magic, huh?" Wendy started a conversation with me. "I saw your use of that spell we practised together some time ago."

"Sort of. I practised on the basics, but it's still difficult to use. At least I'm glad my spell didn't cancel itself as I was casting it. I've also incorporated it in my new Tempest Break technique, although it's still somewhat unrefined." I answered her in detail. "Anyway, I was surprised to see you using a new spell. When did you learn that?"

"Natsu had taught me during the period you weren't showing up at the guild… after that incident. And I practised on it a lot in the week before the trial!" She said proudly.

"It looked pretty powerful, indeed. It's great to see you've been working hard on becoming… stronger." A sting of pain went through my head, as I finished my sentence. It was that same sensation I felt earlier during the fight with Hades.

"Something's wrong, Roth?" Wendy showed concern; she must have noticed it.

"It's nothing. I need some time alone." I told her as calmly as I could, trying to not give her any more reason to worry about me. I hastily got up from my seat and went a short distance away from the camp, where the others wouldn't see me. As soon as I found a quiet spot behind some trees, I grabbed my forehead in an attempt to lessen the pain that was getting worse with the minute. It was like a knife stabbed me inside my head, but I had no idea what was causing it; there was nothing I could do to make it go away. Every time the pain faded, it returned even stronger. After what seemed ages, it finally stopped. I lied curled up on the ground, holding my head with both hands and breathing heavily, exhausted from the sensation of pain. I waited for it to return like it had done before, but it appeared it was finally over. A broken, distorted voice I did not recognise echoed through my head, whispering the same thing over and over again.

" _Fir–…_ " … " _Fir–…_ " … " _Fir–…_ " ...

What did that even mean? It was getting cut off before I could make out anything that could help me understand what it was trying to say. As the pain slowly faded away, so did the echoing voice inside my head. I wasn't going crazy, right… I wondered. Hearing voices inside your head generally doesn't spell much good. Part of me wanted to ask Levy or the guild master about it right away, but at the same time I didn't want to make them worry or think I was weird or something either. After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to keep quiet about it for now, but if it would get worse, I'd ask for their help.

* * *

I sat up, leaning back against a tree, and sighed heavily. In the distance I could hear shouting and cheering coming from the camp… Everyone was still celebrating our victory. After what I just experienced I didn't feel like going back there right now; I didn't really like noisy crowds, anyway. As I quietly sat here by myself, my thoughts returned to those whispers again. I wondered if it perhaps had anything to do with my memories. After all these months since I'd woken up with nothing remaining about my past in my head, I still hadn't gotten any closer to recovering any of it. I had to think back of what Makarov told me on my first day in the guild… That even he wasn't able to help with finding my memories; it was something I had to work on myself. I sighed again. Even if I wanted to work on getting my memories back, I didn't know where to even start. The only potential clue I had was the name of that mysterious man… Ekstramma, and that of his guild, Blazing Phoenix. Unfortunately, no one in the guild knew of any further details regarding them, leaving me yet again on my own in finding out more.

At times like these, when my thoughts were reminding myself of my missing memories, I felt empty inside. My battle with that pink-haired girl had only made it worse; she had beautiful memories. I had only seen brief glimpses of hers, but I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous when I thought back about it. That's not to say I didn't value the memories I'd been building up in the time I'd been part of Fairy Tail… It just felt like I was missing something inside of me.


	57. Chapter 55 - Acnologia

.

 **CHAPTER 55  
ACNOLOGIA**

A low, distant rumbling sound went through the air. I opened my eyes; it appeared I had dozed off. It was no wonder, though. With everything that happened on the island since we came here, I haven't had much time to rest at all. I wondered what that noise was just now. Looking up at the sky, through the layer of leaves, I could see nothing but a bright and clear blue sky. Something felt strange, though. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but this sensation somehow reminded me a little of when I was inflicted with the Mark of the Executioner. A feeling of impending doom. It was quiet again now, and there wasn't much noise coming from the nearby camp either. I suppose they must've heard it, too. I should probably go back to them to see if they know more about it, I thought to myself. But I was feeling lazy and still somewhat sleepy, and didn't want to get up right now.

Not a minute had passed when the mysterious rumbling could be heard again. I'd hoped to be able to sleep for a little longer, but I couldn't ignore this feeling any longer... Not when it didn't show signs of going away. Something was coming, and whatever it would be, it won't spell any good. I got up and walked back to the camp.

Just as I returned there, an incredibly loud roar boomed through the air, forcing me to cover my ears with my hands. I could feel the sound waves going through my entire body. It lasted for only a couple of seconds, but it was enough to strike a sense of fear into me as well as some of the other Fairy Tail members.

"That's definitely a dragon's roar…" Wendy said after it ended. How could that be, though. No dragons have been sighted on the continent of Fiore for years. But I wasn't going to question her on whatever it was that was making this sound. After all, she was brought up by a dragon at young age; she'd likely know better than me.

Not much later, Natsu, along with Lucy, Cana and Gildarts came running back to the camp. "Guys! Are you okay!?" Lucy yelled in our direction as they approached us.

"Did you hear that roar just now? What was that?" Gray asked them. 

* * *

Gildarts seemed to be suffering from some kind of pain in one of his arms and the rest of his body, and was forced down on one knee right after he arrived at the camp. "My old wounds are suddenly aching. There's no doubt about it. It's him. He's coming!" He said to us.

"Hey! Look above!" Lily shouted and pointed upwards. "Something's coming!"

I looked up, in the direction where Lily was pointing. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A regular blue sky, dotted with white, fluffy clouds. Then I spotted a dark, winged silhouette in the distance moving in from the east. It became rapidly bigger, as it came closer to the island. Even while at a distance still largely behind the clouds, its size was already out of what I had imagined… I couldn't believe my eyes when it finally broke through the clouds and fully showed itself to us. Its body and scales were jet black and covered by blue lines. This thing… it was humongous. I was sure it was at least the size of our guild building. How could something like this even exist? It was so unreal. The one thing worse than its size, however, was the insane amount of magic power it radiated. Compared to this dragon, even Hades at full power would've been no match. An overwhelming feeling of dread, despair and helplessness went through me, as it flew over our heads. What did we do to deserve an encounter with something like this?

"I'm afraid that's Acnologia. The black dragon of the Apocalypse." Makarov spoke to us. Even though he was trying to hide it, I could sense some nervousness coming from him.

"Yeah. It's definitely him." Gildarts confirmed his statement with a frown on his face. "This thing… it is what took my arm and my leg. There is no way any of us can stand up against him."

I looked at Gildarts, as he said that. So that's what all the bandages and metal parts covering up his body were for. Knowing he's our strongest member and seeing just what this monster had done to him, made me lose hope in the situation even further.

"It's coming down!" Freed shouted. 

* * *

With a mighty crash it landed on the ground before us, shaking the ground and whipping up strong gusts of wind.

"Are we gonna fight it, or what!?" Natsu had to shout to make his voice loud enough for us to hear him over the noise created by the dragon in front of us.

"We can't, Natsu. You don't understand the situation. Gildarts tried to convince Natsu this was much worse than he could even imagine. "This isn't about winning or losing a fight. It's about how we can get away from with it without losing our lives. No, it's more about which of us will actually survive." Hearing those words coming from Gildarts, the man he looked up to, Natsu finally understood the terrible situation we were in. The dragon smashed one of the tents with its legs and roared at us.

"This is bad! Everyone, run!" Gildarts shouted, but it was already too late. A second roar, much stronger than the first one, was aimed straight at us without warning. The power of it tore through the camp and the forest behind it, and blew us away like leaves caught in a storm. I fell on the ground, quite a distance away. When I looked up to see the effect of the dragon's roar, all I saw was a complete wasteland. All of the trees in the area had been ripped from the ground and sent flying in the sea or parts of the island farther away, and our camp had disappeared as if it had never been there. Gildarts was right about this monster. This wasn't about fighting it… all we could do is try to get away from it and hope we survive. I looked around and spotted the other Fairy Tail members scattered across the wasteland created by the dragon's roar. They were in just as much shock as I was at the sight of what it had done to the island. The dragon itself was back up in the air, calmly floating there and watching us… almost as if it was enjoying the sight of the destruction it had caused.

We all got up and gathered together. As a group, our chances of survival might increase, though with something as big and powerful as this right above us, I wasn't sure if even that would be enough to save us.

"We can't afford to hang around here any longer. We have to get off the island." Gildarts spoke. While I didn't disagree with him on that, I didn't know how we were going to pull that off without the dragon picking us off before getting away. To get back to our ship, we had to swim, and most of us would be largely defenceless while in the water. This made me wonder if Gildarts was just trying to give us some hope. He must know that we have no chance of getting out of this alive, but what else could we do?

"It's coming! Run to the ship!" He shouted as the dragon roared again.

"Hurry! It's this way!" Erza joined Gildarts in his plan to get us to the ship and pointed in the direction where we should be going. Without any better ideas of my own, I just followed the rest of the Fairy Tail members who were already running off. But as I figured, the dragon wasn't going to let us get away this easily. It landed in front of us again, effectively cutting off our escape route and proceeded to attack, smashing its giant claws and tail at us. They came so fast, I had to use Lightning Step to get away safely in time, but even then I got caught up in the shockwaves created by their impact. To make matters worse, I felt my terrible headache returning again and I was forced onto my knees, holding my head with both hands. This was the worst timing possible… Why did it have to return now? 

* * *

"Roth! What's wrong!?" Wendy came running to my side, knelt beside me and placed a hand on my back.

"Ugh… I don't… know. My head's hurting." I simply answered her. I didn't want to cause any more reason for concern, especially not at a time like this, but there was no hiding it anymore.

"Wait, I'll heal -" Just as Wendy attempted to use her healing magic on me, we got blown away by another shockwave created by one of the dragon's attacks.

Things weren't looking good for us, as the dragon continued to relentlessly attack us and destroy large parts of the island. Just then, Makarov stepped forward, taking off his blouse. I'd never seen the guild master this angry before. In fact, this was the first time I'd seen him angry at all. He suddenly grew in size, becoming bigger than several houses put on top of each other, reaching more than enough height to look the dragon directly in the eyes.

"Get to the ship!" He ordered us with booming voice and proceeded to wrap his arms around the dragon's head and neck to keep it from attack us or moving away. The dragon struggled while Makarov was trying to keep his grip on it, but his strength was enough to keep it in check, at least for now.

"Master! Please stop!" Erza yelled back at Makarov, knowing what he was doing was crazy. Makarov was still wounded and weakened from his fight with Hades. Taking this dragon head on in his current state would be nothing more than a death wish. "If anything happens to you, the guild will be…!"

"Run!" Makarov wasn't going to listen to her. He continued to keep the dragon from getting to the rest of us. If there was a chance to get away alive, this would be it.

Yet no one was running. All of us refused to leave him behind. There was no point in running away if any one of us had to die in order for the rest to safely escape. That's not the way Fairy Tail works. 

* * *

"Can't you listen to your master this one last time, you damn brats!?" He shouted in anger when he saw none of us were using the opportunity he created to flee.

"I'm a Dragon Slayer, Gramps! This is what I was born to do, so let me–" Natsu yelled at him, but Laxus grabbed him by his scarf and dragged him the other way. "Not today, kid." Natsu wildly struggled, but when he saw the tears in Laxus's eyes, he gave up.

"Please stay safe!" Erza said to Makarov after a moment of hesitation, then ran after Laxus and Natsu. The rest of the members followed, as did I, as best as I could with my headache. This all felt like a bad dream… How did our guild's S-class trial end up like this? First to have our island invaded by Grimoire Heart, and now this insanely powerful dragon that was about to kill us all. Not to mention this blasted pain in my head, which was becoming increasingly more intense, as I ran after the others. At this rate, I wasn't going to make it to the ship…

Makarov had been able to hold the dragon still for a little while, but the ground was already shaking again and I could hear the sound of earth cracking under the feet of these two giants, yet I didn't dare looking behind me. All I could hope for was that Makarov would somehow be able to make it out alive from there. Everything went silent again, and I wondered what could have happened. Then, out of nowhere, Natsu rushed past me, going back the other way again. At that same moment, my headache became even stronger, and I wasn't even able to stand up any longer. With much effort I looked over my shoulder, only to see Makarov was his tiny old self again. Natsu attempted to claw his way up one of the dragon's arms. All the other Fairy Tail members followed him. We were all heading back to our master's side. Except for me. The same broken voice, whispering went on in my head again.

The next moment, it felt as the side of my head got struck by a cannonball. I flew several metres through the air, and nearly caused me to faint. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Gajeel standing before me.

"You. This is no time to be wimping out. Come on, we need you!" He said to me and showed a smirk. He thought I was afraid? Of course… I hadn't told him about my headache. Though I didn't want him to think him I was too scared to go up against the dragon, that wasn't important right now. I tried to show a smile, despite my head hurting even worse than before. That said, it did seem Gajeel managed to get that voice out of my head for the time being. That alone was an immense relief. He offered me a hand to help me get up, which I gladly accepted. Feeling strangely refreshed after that punch of his, I Prequipped myself and charged with Gajeel onto the battlefield. 

* * *

As if the rest had been waiting for me and Gajeel to arrive, the full fury of Fairy Tail was unleashed onto the dragon just as we got there. "All right, you guys! Let's hit this overgrown lizard with everything we've got!" Laxus yelled and charged himself with tons of electric energy. As I took a spot at his side and followed his example by gathering all of my power, part of the magic energy he was radiating through his power up seeped into me, boosting my power level beyond what I was normally used to.

"Not bad, rookie. Now, let's teach this thing to not mess with Fairy Tail ever again!" He said to me without ever taking his eyes off the dragon.

"Heh. That's exactly what I had in mind. Ready when you are!" I replied with a smirk. The adrenaline flowing through me from facing a foe like this sent all of my previous exhaustion into the background. I felt wide awake. Fully energised by the blessing of the Tenrou Tree. And ready to blast this dragon with all that I had.

Laxus's energy level spiked in a matter of a mere split second, followed by him shouting "Raging Bolt!" He let loose a giant lightning bolt from both his fists aimed forward. As soon as I felt his increased energy level, I closed my eyes and fired off my Focused Strike spell with as much power as I could. There was no need to even concentrate and search for the magic energy source of my target. This dragon contained so much magic, it was impossible to miss from my position. I sensed my beam merging with Laxus's lightning bolt, as it travelled through the air; I continued to pump more energy into this beam to keep up the pressure.

At that same moment, the other Fairy Tail members were launching an organised attack. Erza Requipped herself with Heaven's Wheel armour and launched a barrage of swords at the dragon. "Super Freeze Arrow!" Gray followed her up with a storm of icicles. "Water Nebula!" Simultaneously, Juvia launched a wave of water. "Solid Script: Fire!" Levy instantly wrote her spell in the air and sent it flying at the dragon. "Sagittarius! Now!" Lucy, who had her Celestial Spirit already out, ordered him to open fire. "Evil Explosion!" Mirajane in her Satan Soul form, which was my first time seeing her like this, released a dark ball of energy from her hands. "The Thunder Legion is back in action!" Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen all attacked at the same time. Everyone's spells all combined together into one compressed beam of magic energy and collided with the dragon, resulting in a huge explosion of blue and yellow magic.

"Damn monster's still smiling, even after we hit it with everything!" Laxus grunted while continuing to channel forth magic to fuel his charged lightning bolt. "Let's see what you Dragon Slayers can do! Ya hear me, Natsu!?"

I opened my eyes just to see what was happening all this time. It was harder to concentrate on keeping my beam going, but I couldn't not take a look at how we were doing. Laxus was right… Through the explosion of magic all around the dragon's location, I could see it smiling at us, as if our attacks had no effect on it whatsoever. Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel were taken into the sky by their winged cat companions for a second assault. It was indeed up to them to finish this off. They were our Dragon Slayers; surely their attacks should have some effect against this enemy, I thought to myself.

"Iron Dragon… Roar!"

"Sky Dragon… Roar!"

"Fire Dragon… Roar!"

Their roars came together into one gigantic beam of destructive energy and blasted the dragon right in the head. This time it seemed we were successful, as the dragon got blown away by the impact of the Dragon Slayers' combined roar attack. 

* * *

"Did that work?" Erza asked warily. We all stared in anticipation at the large cloud of dust covering the location where the dragon had crashed into a large rock.

"No. He still hasn't exerted the strength he did when he fought me…" Was the somber answer we got from Gildarts. If even Dragon Slaying magic had no effect on him, then what did? "He's playing with us." He confirmed my exact thoughts, however much I didn't want to believe it to be true. From the moment I first sensed the amount of magic energy it possessed, I knew it had the power to wipe us out in an instant if it wanted to. The fact we were still alive was a miracle in and of itself. Accepting this harsh reality wasn't something I wanted to, but seeing how there was nothing more we could possibly do against this monster, it was all that was left.

The ground beneath our feet shook, and before we knew what was happening, the dragon emerged from underground where we were standing and flew up in the air. I glanced up at the sky… there wasn't even a single scratch or injury to be seen on the dragon's body, nor had its power level decreased one bit since the start of our fight.

"His power is unbelievable…" Even Gajeel had to admit this enemy was way out of our league.

"We put everything into it, too." Wendy said with despair in her voice.

"Dammit!" Natsu was on his knees and stomped his fists onto the ground in frustration. He was out of ideas, as well as out of energy after that last attack. "What did I even learn Dragon Slayer magic for!?"

All of us had practically giving up hope of getting out of this situation. The dragon probably realised this and began to inhale all of the magic energy in the area. If I had to guess, this was going to be his final attack… There would be no way for us to defend against this much raw power. It was over for us.

"Is there nothing we can do now?" Lucy broke into tears. "Is this… how it's going to end for all of us?" Natsu only looked at her; he could not find words to comfort her this time.

"Defence magic wielders! Use everything in your power!" Erza ordered the guild members.

"There's no time to write an enchantment!" Freed explained to let her know he wasn't going to be able to make his spells work in time.

"Script magic has plenty of other defensive spells!" Levy hastily added. Even under these circumstances, she was still thinking clearly.

"Good thinking, Levy!" Bixlow complimented her.

"Everyone! Focus your magic power on Levy and Freed!" Lisanna yelled to let us all know that was going to be the plan. While I didn't think it was going to make a difference, considering just how powerful our foe is, it sure did beat sitting still and not doing anything at all as our final moments ticked away. 

* * *

"Let's hold hands!" Mirajane suggested, and held out her hand.

"Come on, Lucy. We're not gonna go out like this!" Natsu said and offered his hand to Lucy, who was still crying. This new plan of ours had brought back the spark of hope inside Natsu. He was determined to not let this dragon get us with his next attack.

"Bring all our power together!" Gray said, and took the hands of the members next to him. "Let's show him the bond our guild shares!"

Laxus, with a warm smile on his face, held out his hand at Makarov, who looked back at him all teary eyed. After a brief moment, he took Laxus's hand in his own, and then with a smile said. "Yes! Let's all return together!"

I joined the circle of Fairy Tail members, taking Levy's and Gildarts's hand. All of us being together like this filled me with courage and happiness. Through the warmth of their hands, I was reminded of the friendships I'd forged with these people in the short period of time I'd been a member of Fairy Tail. The bonds I had with them was something I would never forget… Something I would hold dear forever. This sensation of total unity, friendship and trust, as I held the hands of my comrades, was so strong that it made me forget everything else around me… It was as if time itself froze at that very moment.


	58. Chapter 56 - Seven Year Gap

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 **CHAPTER 56  
SEVEN YEAR GAP**

Feeling as though I had been asleep for what seemed like an eternity, I woke up and slowly opened my eyes. I was greeted by rays of sunlight shining upon me, completely blinding me for a moment. I found myself lying on the warm and soft soil of Tenrou Island, with the lower half of my body covered in sand and pebbles. Getting myself on my feet and wiping off the dirt from my clothes, I glanced at my surroundings. Nothing but trees… bushes… rocks. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Slowly but surely my brain began to activate itself. Wait, what was I doing here? Where are the other Fairy Tail members? I tried to reach for my memories about what I'd been doing before I lost consciousness. Everything was one hazy blur, but one by one things were starting to come back to me. The S-class Trial. The fight against Grimoire Heart. Acnologia, the black dragon. That's right, I thought. The last thing I could remember of what happened before I blacked out was our hopeless struggle against this monster dragon. We were all holding hands together, and in that instant, I lost awareness of everything around me. Then, how did I end up here? And why was the island not damaged anymore like it had been? Too many questions went through my head, making it hard for me to concentrate on doing anything at all. 

* * *

All right, my first priority should be to locate the others, I thought to myself in an attempt to organise the chaos in my head. Just as I was about to get myself moving, I noticed a girl looking at me from a distance. She was barefooted, but wore a pure white dress, and her hair was light blonde, wavy and so long, it reached down to her legs. Despite her child-like physique, I had the impression she was much older than she looked. Her eyes were fixated on me; just how long had she been standing there, watching me, I wondered.

"Who… Who are you?" I carefully asked.

"My name is Mavis. Fairy Tail's First Master, Mavis Vermilion." She answered just like that.

"…" I didn't know how to reply to that. Didn't the S-class trial involve searching for her grave? Then, what was she doing here? Could it be that I'm dead… Am I in some afterlife kind of place?

"If you wish to see the others, follow me." She said with a gentle smile, then turned around and walked away without waiting for a reply. While I didn't like the idea of following some complete stranger, for some reason I felt like I could trust her. After a moment of hesitation, I decided to run after her.

"Wait up!" I said as I was trying to catch up to her, causing her pace to slow down a little. "I… What is the reason our guild is called Fairy Tail?" I blurted out the question without even thinking about how rude I must have sounded. She stopped in her tracks upon hearing me, and then turned to face me.

"Do fairies have tails? Do fairies exist in the first place?" She replied to me with that same gentle smile as before. "It's an eternal mystery. An eternal adventure. The name incorporates those thoughts. Fairy Tail." Before I could respond to that, she went on her way again.

"An eternal adventure, huh." I muttered to myself as I continued to follow her, intrigued by the answer I'd been given. Since the day I joined this guild, I wondered what exactly the reason behind its name was… Yet I had never really bothered to ask anyone in the guild about it. To get the answer directly from supposedly the first master, the founder of the guild herself, was more than I could have hoped for. 

* * *

Eventually, she led me to a place on the island where all the other Fairy Tail members had been gathered. I joined the rest of the group, where I immediately noticed a few old, familiar faces. Most notably those of Jet and Droy, who looked nothing like I remembered them like. What happened to those two, I wondered in shock. But I was glad to see all the others who were part of the S-class trial to be here and doing fine.

The girl claiming to be Mavis stood on a rock and began to speak to us. All of the chattering amongst the crowd of Fairy Tail wizards immediately died down to listen to what she had to say. "When it happened, I converted the bond and mutual trust everyone shared into magic power." I was guessing she was talking about that moment when we all held hands together, right before Acnologia attacked us. "Their feelings activated Fairy Sphere, one of the Three Great Fairy spells. This absolute defence spell protects the guild from all manners of evil." Everyone was staring at her in wonder as she continued to explain to us. "But everyone remained frozen inside, and it took seven years to lift the seal."

"My word! So the founding master protected us!" Makarov said after she finished, with a happy smile.

"No. I am incorporeal." Her body began to lightly float in the air and glow with a golden light. "Converting your power into magic took everything I had. Unwavering conviction and powerful bonds can also produce miracles. You've built a wonderful guild, Third Master!" She directed that last part at Makarov, and with that, she disappeared in a flash of light.

It remained quiet for a while after her disappearance, but then the guild master stepped forward, taking the place on the rock where she'd been standing and cleared his throat.

"It appears that, thanks to the support of our guild's first master, we have been able to survive the onslaught of Acnologia. With seven years gone since that fateful day, a lot must have changed. But no matter what, we will rebuild Fairy Tail and restore it to its former glory!" He shouted and raised his fist up in the air. His short, but powerful speech brought along a bunch of cheering and clapping from everyone here. We then headed for the beach where the group of Fairy Tail members who'd come here to look for us had their ship anchored. 

* * *

Aboard the ship, the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet. I had the feeling many of us were still feeling a little strange after waking up in some place on the island after everything that happened. I knew I did, at least. If it was true that seven years had passed since our disappearance, what would that mean for us, I wondered as I leaned with my arms on the railing, staring at the seemingly endless blue ocean. Thankfully, the weather was much more mellow than it was on our way to the island before, making it rather nice to spend the time out on the deck.

"Hello, Roth." A friendly voice said. I glanced sidewards and saw Lucy standing there, looking back at me with a soft smile. "I… just wanted to thank you for coming to my aid… during that battle with the weird, big-headed guy." She spoke softly. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up then and there."

"Don't worry about it. That's what we're guild comrades for, right?" I gave her the obvious answer.

"You're right." She smiled back.

"Besides, Natsu wasn't too far away. He would've come to save you if you really needed the help." I added to my response.

"Pfft! All he was thinking about was beating up that woman he was fighting with." Lucy grumbled, though I knew she didn't really mean it. She and Natsu were like best friends.

"That woman, huh? I wonder what happened to her…" I said, thinking back about that moment I saw her during my fight. How didn't I realise this sooner? She was the same person I'd seen in the pink-haired girl's memories! I was probably too busy not getting myself beaten up to properly recognise her back then.

"Didn't she say she was taking Zeref to their master?" Lucy said worriedly.

"Well, we beat their master before that happened. And even so, with seven years gone…" I said. There was no way we were going to find out where she or Zeref was now.

Lucy remained quiet after my reply and stared in the distance, then after a few minutes, as if she was suddenly shocked by electricity, she shrieked. "Seven years!? Oh no! How am I going to pay the rent for all the time I've been gone!?" She threw her hands in the air in panic and ran off.

I sighed. That reminded me of my own house. With seven years gone, who knew how much the cost of my rent had accumulated. I'd never have the money to pay for all of it… I could probably ask Gajeel if he has an extra bed or something at his place if I would have nowhere else to go. Well, those would be worries for later. 

* * *

The rest of the way back to Magnolia went by rather uneventful. I didn't really feel like talking much, so I sat alone at a table in the train between Hargeon and Magnolia, staring at the landscape that flashed by. When we finally arrived at the station, I couldn't really tell seven years had passed. Everything looked more or less the same as I remembered.

"Wendy. Gajeel. I'll meet you guys tomorrow or the day after. I have some things I want to check up on." I let them know I wasn't going to come with them to the guild building and then went the other way. Even though from my perspective it had only been a couple of days since I left this city, I somehow felt nostalgic being back here again, as though much more time had passed since then. I glanced at the people around me, as I walked the streets of the city. No faces I recognised… Then again, I never really paid much attention to the townspeople. Outside of my time at the guild, I didn't spend much time socialising; I rather liked spending my free time all by myself.

It was when I entered the neighbourhood where my house was located that I noticed changes. The houses and streets looked dirty and poorly maintained. Admittedly, it had never been the finest neighbourhood in the city, but I couldn't remember it being this bad. Oh well, as long as my house with all my stuff is there, I didn't really care. I finally arrived at the door of my house. The note I had left there before leaving to Tenrou Island was gone, so at least someone must have read it, then. I knocked on the door, just in case the landlord had decided it wasn't worth waiting for me any longer and someone else was now living here, but there was no answer. I inserted the key in the lock and tried to open the door. It took a push to finally get it to properly open. That door surely wasn't what it used to be.

I stepped inside and looked around. It was a little dark, but for some reason I felt right at home. As I inspected the living room, it seemed everything was still right as I had left it… seven years ago. Except that the entire floor and everything else was covered in a thick layer of dust. There were also a bunch of cobwebs in the corners of the room, which certainly didn't make me happy. Man, where to even start… I thought to myself, wanting to clean up this mess right away.

It was already late in the evening when I finally finished cleaning a good part of it. At least the floor wasn't a solid gray anymore and I felt I could normally breathe again without inhaling a load of dust particles. Luckily, no spiders had shown up during any of my cleaning activities, so that was a plus, too. I didn't feel quite comfortable with the thought of sleeping under the covers of my bed that haven't been washed for seven years, so I decided to spend the night on the couch. I planned to do the remainder of things I wanted to clean and wash tomorrow, and it might be wise to have a talk with my landlord regarding the rent and stuff. I had no problems falling asleep that night, happy that I was back home again.


	59. Chapter 57 - The New Guild Building

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 **CHAPTER 57  
THE NEW GUILD BUILDING**

That next day I was busy cleaning up my place some more, getting rid of the dust that was just about everywhere and taking my clothes and bed sheets to laundry. I also visited the office of my landlord to talk about the rent, but he said he was aware of my absence and apparently thought I was a pretty cool guy, and so didn't mind that I skipped paying for the past seven years. He also said he put the house up for sale several times during the time I was gone, but not a single person with interest in it had shown up. As long as I would continue paying the rent again from now on, everything would be okay, which I happily agreed to. Other than that, I restocked on some food, buying fruit and vegetables at the local market. All in all, it was a pretty busy day, but it felt nice to spend a day alone again after all my adventures with the guild. After all the hard work today, it was great to be able to sleep in my bed again.

The next morning, I routinely started out my day doing some basic exercising, like I always used to. After finishing those, I decided I should probably pay a visit to the guild today. After all, I had told my teammates that I'd meet with them one or two days after our return to Magnolia. The weather was nice and sunny, There was not even a need to bring my cloak for going outside. That made me wonder what date it was today; it couldn't possibly be winter with these temperatures. Looking at the tiny, fresh leaves sprouting on the trees, it had to be somewhere early spring. 

* * *

As I finally arrived at the location of our guild building, I noticed something odd: the whole place was fenced off and looked completely abandoned as though there hadn't been people using it in years. Looking from a distance through the windows, the interior appeared completely dark and I couldn't hear any noise coming from inside. This was strange, I thought to myself, and scratched my head in confusion. If no one's here, then where could they be? The road leading to the guild building was mostly empty, apart from a small group of young kids playing with a ball. I decided it might be best to approach them to see if they knew anything about what's up with Fairy Tail's situation.

"Yo!" I smiled and raised my hand to greet them. The kids stopped playing and looked at me with big eyes, but didn't greet me back. "Hey, do you guys know what happened to Fairy Tail? Like, why the building's empty?"

The kids remained quiet for a moment, then one of them stepped forward. "Fairy Tail? Those losers got kicked out of the city." The kid replied with a cocky grin. The others giggled softly behind his back.

Losers!? Who's he calling losers!? Didn't these guys know of the greatness of Fairy Tail? Repressing my inner anger, I asked them another question, as friendly as I could. "Do you know where they are now?"

"The old tavern outside the city. Their place stinks, though." He answered me right away.

"Yeah! Twilight Ogre keeps wrecking it, but every time they rebuild it! So stupid!" One of the other kids followed up.

"When we're older we're gonna join Twilight Ogre and teach those fairies!" The third kid joined in and threw some punches at the air.

"Like, really! Ogres are way cooler than stupid fairies!" The last one said.

"Wha–!" I couldn't believe these little brats. How dared they disrespect my guild! "I don't care what you say. Fairy Tail is the greatest!" I said in an attempt to defend my guild from ridicule.

"The greatest bunch of losers, yeah!" One of them shouted and snorted with the sound of a dying pig.

"Did you see their faces when they got beaten up by Twilight Ogre's guild master!?" Another said and rolled on the ground, laughing.

"Wait, dude! You're a member of them?" The other kid said, spotting the guild insignia on my hand. "You're a member and don't even know where your own guild building is!?"

"Haha! What a joke!" At this point, the kids were all on the ground, almost peeing their pants from laughing too hard. Hearing them making fun of my guild like that was making me mad; it was difficult to keep myself from blasting these brats with one of my fully charged Focused Strikes. Without even thanking them for at least answering my questions, I turned around and left them. I could still hear their laughter several streets further away, and I was glad when I finally made enough distance that their voices no longer reached my ears.

Twilight Ogre. Pfft, what a joke, never even heard of those nobodies. Besides, Fairy Tail is obviously much better. My anger didn't go away so easily. I felt like punching something or someone on my way out of the city. 

* * *

Before I knew it, I was already outside the city walls and on the small cobblestone road to the tavern the kids told me about. I could already see it in the distance. I believe Lucy once told me it used to be a farm that was later turned into tavern, but never picked up popularity despite sitting not too far from one of the main trading routes leading from and to the city. And now it's become our guild building, huh? It would've been hard to guess it was used by Fairy Tail now if it wasn't for the large orange banner with the guild's emblem that was placed right above the entrance. As I came closer, I could hear familiar voices and laughing coming from inside.

I pushed both wooden doors wide open and entered the guild hall. It certainly was quite a lot smaller than our old building. The floor was stone, but most of the rest of the building was made of simple wood. It didn't look anywhere near as fancy as I was used to from the previous Fairy Tail guild hall, but there was something cozy about it. At least we still had a bar and plenty of tables to sit at. That said, it was surprisingly empty for this time of the day.

"Where's everybody?" I spoke up as I entered. There were so few people, I didn't even feel uncomfortable being the centre of attention.

"Oh, hey! You must be Roth?" I'm Kinana. A violet-haired girl greeted me from behind the bar and introduced herself. I didn't recognise her face from before, so I figured she must be one of the new members; probably having taken up Mirajane's job after we disappeared. I just nodded to confirm that she guessed correctly about my name, then she continued to speak. "Uhm, well. Natsu and Lucy went out on a trip together. Master Makarov, along with Erza and Mirajane are taking care of Twilight Ogre." Just as she said that, a distant boom could be heard from the direction of Magnolia. "Master Macao and Wakabe are out for a walk. And I suppose the rest is still resting after their adventure on Tenrou Island and the party we've been having yesterday."

"Oh, I see. Thank you." I thanked her and took a seat at the bar. "Got anything for me to eat?" All that walking had made me hungry.

"Sure. I baked some bread this morning. I also have plenty of fruit, salad, cake, cookies, crackers– "

"I'll take a few crackers." I dryly requested the moment she mentioned them.

"Oui! If it isn't Roth!" A skinny, middle-aged man with curly orange hair walked up to me while the girl searched behind the bar for the crackers I asked for.

"Yo…? Do I know you?" I felt a bit rude with a response like that, but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to know him from somewhere.

"I understand! It's me, Reedus. The spell Master had cast on me has worn off during his absence, so I reverted back to my old, skinny self." He briefly explained to me. "Oh! I have something for you!" He quickly added, and plucked a sheet of paper from a sketchbook he was carrying with him. He handed it to me.

"Hm, what's this?" I said and checked to see what he had to show. On the paper was an amazing pencil sketch of a character wielding two swords in an action pose, surrounded by lightning. "Wait, this is supposed to be me!?" I reacted in shock when I noticed the clothing and armour of the character in the sketch strongly resembled my combat gear.

"Do you like it? The inspiration came from that time you protected me… seven years ago, during the Battle of Fairy Tail. Remember?" Reedus asked me.

"Heh, I could never look this cool, even if I tried!" I couldn't believe at good of an artist Reedus was. "Anyway, I love it! It'll earn a place on the wall in my house when I get back, so I can look at it every day." I said in all honesty. This was the coolest thing somebody had ever given me.

"I made a bunch of drawings and paintings of the others if you'd like to see them?" Reedus said. 

* * *

And so I spent my morning in the guild hall, having a peaceful breakfast while admiring all of Reedus's incredible artwork. It wasn't until early in the afternoon when more members entered the guild hall, namely Gajeel and Wendy, along with Carla and Lily.

"Oh, it's you guys. You're late!" I said as soon as I saw them stepping inside.

"Oi! You're the one who's late! Where were you yesterday!?" Gajeel grunted in the way I was used from him whenever he spoke to me.

"I've been here all morning, waiting for you guys to show up. How am I the one being late?" I defended myself, then followed with a sigh when neither responded. "Anyway, never mind. Since when do you two… four commute together." I corrected myself to include their cat companions.

"Ah! It's not like that!" Wendy hastily responded to clear up any potential misunderstandings, though she showed a light blush on her cheeks. "I… just happened to meet Gajeel during his training routine on my way here. So I thought it'd be nice to go together."

"I see." I plainly replied, then, with quite a lot more enthusiasm, changed the subject. "Have you guys seen Reedus's drawings yet!? They're awesome!" Reedus showed a slightly embarrassed smile for praising his work like that. Wendy's expression became suspiciously uneasy the moment I touched the subject of Reedus's art. Gajeel, on the other hand, didn't show a lot of interest.

"He drew this for me!" I shoved the drawing of me in Gajeel's face to try to convince him of how cool it was, but Gajeel didn't show much of a reaction. "He also made drawings of all you guys." That last bit seemed to spark his interest.

"Well, then. Show me what you made." Gajeel said in a brusque manner and snatched Reedus's sketchbook out of his hands and leafed through it. At a certain point he stopped to look more closely at a picture. Gajeel nodded and a modest grin appeared on his face. "I approve. This is pretty good. Mind if I take it?" He complimented Reedus on the drawing he made of Gajeel wearing his white suit, and playing the guitar while singing. Reedus nodded back in agreement and let Gajeel have it.

"Wendy, you don't want to see yours?" I asked her in curiousity, as she'd surprisingly much been staying in the background all this time.

"I… I've already seen it." She answered timidly.

"I say it's pretty cute." Gajeel, who still held the sketchbook, said without showing much of an expression, so it was hard to tell whether he really meant it or just said it to be nice.

"Let me see it." I took a spot next to Gajeel to have a better look at it. It was a coloured drawing of Wendy as Reedus imagined her to look like, seven years older than she currently was. "I agree with Gajeel. You look cute on it." I said, being honest with my opinion, and then looked back at her.

"…Really?" She spoke so softly, it was almost like a whisper, averting her eyes and looking down.

"Come, now. Can't you see she doesn't want you two looking at her like that." Carla spoke to us and stepped in front of Wendy.

"Why don't you all have some lunch? I made potato and carrot stew for today." Kinana said when she noticed our group conversation had come to and end.

"Bring it on." Gajeel said with a smirk. "Hey, you!" He aimed at me. "You decided on our teamtable yet?"

"Well, let's see. How about we take that one near the window?" I suggested.

"Already claimed by Team Natsu…" Wendy sighed in disappointment.

"The one next to it, then?" I tried again.

"No way. I'm not sitting that close to Salamander!" Gajeel stubbornly refused.

"Fine. The table on the other side of the room?" I asked and hoped this one would be free and okay with the others. It was also nearby a window.

"I don't think anyone else is having this table. So I'm fine with it!" Wendy said cheerfully and already took a seat at it.

"It's settled, then! From now on, this is Team Thunder Dragon's table!" I announced with a loud voice and slammed my fist on the wooden surface. Gajeel quietly joined us at our table and proceeded to just sit there with his arms crossed and wait for our lunch. 

* * *

Just as our lunch got served lunch by Kinana, the guild master, Erza, and Mirajane entered the guild hall. The three of them looked like they were in high spirits. I guessed something nice must have happened for them. "Well, that's been taken care of." Makarov stated as he walked up to the bar. Mirajane remained with him, but Erza joined our table, since her own team's table was completely abandoned.

"What's up?" Gajeel casually showed interest when she took a seat next to him.

"Kicked those brutes out of town. Made sure they won't ever come back." Erza answered modestly as though it was not a big deal.

"Huh?" I didn't know what was being talked about.

"Twilight Ogre. They've been harassing our members and vandalising our property for years now." She replied. Hearing that Twilight Ogre got stomped into the ground by Erza absolutely made my day. I wished I could see the faces of those kids from this morning when they learned Fairy Tail kicked their precious guild out of Magnolia.

"You're so strong, Ms. Erza!" Wendy said in admiration and looked at Erza with sparkles in her eyes.

"Well, I didn't do it all by myself. It was with the help of Master and Mirajane." She answered with that same modesty again.

"But we still can't afford to move back?" Gajeel asked.

"Correct. Fairy Tail is currently in poor state. We're low on funds and our popularity has hit rock bottom during the years we've been gone. Not to mention all the members we've lost." Erza said with a frown.

"So it helps if we do a bunch of guild jobs, then?" I asked, hoping that my guess was correct.

"Yes. We need to rebuild the guild's reputation. Recruit new members. Retake what was once ours." Erza laid out the plan in three simple sentences.

"This is where Team Thunder Dragon comes in, right? Guys?" I said as I stood up with an enthusiastic smile and awaited my teammates' responses.

"I'm in!" Wendy joined in my excitement.

"Geehee. Sure." And even Gajeel seemed to be willing to go with it. Perfect.

"Well, since it's already getting late, we'll save it for next time. Make sure to get enough rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day!" The others agreed, and after finishing our lunch, I went back home. I had some preparations to make for tomorrow; the day when our team would finally get back to doing guild jobs again. It had been a while since we'd done any, with everything that happened lately, so I was excited for what tomorrow would bring.


	60. Chapter 58 - Nutty Squrirels

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 **CHAPTER 58  
NUTTY SQUIRRELS**

The first thing I saw that morning upon opening my eyes after waking up was the awesome drawing Reedus had given me. I'd given it a nice place on the wall in my house. Looking at it made me jealous of his drawing skills. Come to think of it, I never tried practising any hobbies involving creativity… unless you would consider coming up with new magic spells a creative pastime. Not that I'd have time to spend the day drawing or whatever, though. Activities involving the guild generally took up most of my time, and when I was alone I'd either spend the time honing my combat skills, collecting knowledge or doing simple chores at home.

Shaking my head free from distracting thoughts, I began my usual morning routine. It was a little hard getting back into it after barely having done any the past two weeks, but I kept at it until I was satisfied with my efforts.

The walk to the guild hall from my house was quite the distance. At least four times longer than it was to the old guild building. I felt like complaining about it to myself because it took up so much more time, but at the same time I really enjoyed just walking, so I decided it wasn't that bad after all.

The guild hall was a little more lively than it was yesterday, with Team Natsu being the ones making all the noise. I guessed they were also busy making plans for today. Gajeel and Wendy were already present and sitting at our newly claimed teamtable.

"Finally, you're here. Let's pick a job before Salamander gets it." Gajeel said the moment I arrived at our table without even bothering to greet me.

"Whoa! What's with the rush? I only just got here." I said without knowing what was going on.

"Come, fast! They're about to move!" Without warning, Gajeel stood up and walked off, dragging me with him.

"Geez, what –" Before I could finish my sentence, Gajeel almost got run over by Natsu who dashed at the request board and took whatever job there was remaining on it, then turned to us.

"Kaahaha! Too late! It's ours!" Natsu laughed maniacally and then returned to his team's table, where Gray congratulated him on picking the job before we could. Erza looked in our direction with a pitiful smile; I wasn't sure whether she felt sorry for us or just trying not to appear like she was enjoying the fact her team got the job first.

"Gah! Damn you, Salamander!" Gajeel released me and cursed at Natsu, but he was already on his way out with the others behind him, still laughing out loud.

"Oh, no. I knew you really wanted that job, Gajeel." Wendy said sadly.

"And we could've had it, too! Next time I'm not waiting on you, got that!?" Gajeel growled in frustration and pointed his finger at me.

"Wait! There is one more request on the board!" Wendy suddenly said with a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Oh, let's see." I walked up to the board to see what it was, only to find out the only remaining request was that same baker's assistant job I did on my first day and together with Wendy one time. "Ugh, no. I'll pass." I'd rather stay home and do nothing than to go back there.

"I guess I'll go take a nap." Gajeel said depressed, sitting at a random table and resting his head on its surface. 

* * *

"Oh. You three are looking for a job?" Kinana approached Wendy and me as we still stood in front of the request board. "The board has been so bare with the people having lost confidence in Fairy Tail as a guild. But don't worry… I just got this one in today and hadn't had the chance to put it on the board yet. Here." She handed me a request sheet that read:

 _ **Looking for experienced squirrel slayers!**  
Requirements: Experience in beating up monster squirrels  
Payment: 70 000 Jewel  
Rank: A_

"I hope this is something a little better suited for a group of your skill level." She continued with a smile.

"Yes, this is perfect! Thank you very much!" I thanked her as much as I could without being awkward about it.

"Do we really need to beat up the squirrels?" Wendy softly said with some reluctance.

"Hmm… I guess so." I knew it wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but from our previous experience with those devils, I seriously doubted there was going to be another way of taking care of them. Wendy looked a little sad hearing my response to her.

"You really liked that baker's assistant job?" I curiously asked her, at which she quietly nodded in response. "Why don't you go do that. Gajeel and I will be fine on our own doing this one."

Her eyes lit up for a moment, and then cast down her gaze in sadness again. "But… the baker said he wouldn't let someone my age work for him."

"Uh. That's true. But with Fairy Tail reduced to such small numbers, we have no choice! He'll just have to accept you!" I argued in a final attempt to convince her it would be okay.

"Thanks, Roth… I'll try my best." She said and managed to show a smile, then got the request paper from the board and went on her way with Carla at her side. Once she had left I sighed, glad that was dealt with. Now I just hoped the baker wouldn't turn her offer to work for him down. Regardless, there was nothing more I could do about it. Having received this new job from Kinana, I should wake up Gajeel and get going; it would be nice if we could get this job done before lunchtime.

"Yo. We're leaving." I spoke and poked Gajeel in the face with my index finger.

"Uh… what?" Gajeel muttered as he opened his eyes and lifted his head from the table. "What? You got us a job?" He looked up at me standing on the opposite side of the table, holding the request paper up so he could see it. "So, what is it?" He then asked and stood up.

"More squirrels."

"Wow. They really don't give up, do they?" Gajeel said, amazed that the squirrel plague hadn't died down yet after the beating we'd given them last time. I nodded in response. They were indeed more persistent that I'd thought. 

* * *

From this new guild building's location, the walk was considerably shorter to the place where we needed to be. It didn't take long until we saw what seemed like a barren wasteland in the distance, not too far from Magnolia's city walls. If I thought it had looked bad the last time we got there to rid the place of squirrels, this time it was at least ten times worse. Large craters dotted the grassless landscape and there wasn't a sign of any merchants or their stalls to be seen. Just what could've caused this kind of devastation, I thought to myself, as Gajeel and I approached our destination.

"No one's here, huh?" Gajeel said and scanned the area for any signs of life.

"Well, let's just wait for a bit." I suggested and did some stretching in the meantime to loosen my muscles in preparation for our guild job.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" A short and rather chubby man came shouted and came running our way as fast as his little legs could carry him. When he finally got there, he was completely out of breath and panted heavily. After he'd somewhat recovered, he looked at the both of us with his eyes wide open. "I can't… It's really you!" He spoke in shock.

"Of course. Who else?" Gajeel responded, confused what this man was trying to say.

"We heard the unfortunate news of the loss of Fairy Tail's master and core group, including you two. With your guild reduced to nothing more than an empty shell of its former self, we were forced to rely on Twilight Ogre. Countless times we requested those useless Twilight Ogre brutes to help us out in our struggle with the squirrels, but after they failed the first time, they never showed up again. And now… seven years after your mysterious disappearance, you're finally back! I couldn't possibly be happier! …" This man just kept on talking and talking, I was starting to lose my patience. We'd come here to do our job, not to listen to him just going on and on about things that I had no interest in hearing. Going by the look on Gajeel's face, he must be feeling the same way. "… I don't understand, though. You two still look the exact same as seven years ago! My, what a mystery!"

"That's enough, old man." Gajeel finally spoke up, causing our client to abruptly fall silent. "We came here for the job. Now tell us: where's that squirrel you want us to beat up?"

"Right. Right. Since nobody else was able to take care of the situation for years, we merchants have kind of avoided going here to set up our stalls along this road. We now remain in the much safer, but more crowded streets of Magnolia City. While it sure is nice to have more people around to look at our wares, there's also a ton more competition from other nearby merchants. As you can imagine –"

Gajeel grabbed the man by both his shoulders and violently shook him. "Just… tell us… where the damn squirrels are!" He shouted right in the man's face.

"Th–Th–The f–f–forest!" He said and pointed in some direction as best as he could while being shaken by Gajeel.

"All right. That's enough, Gajeel." I laid my hand on his shoulder to let him know we got what we needed. Gajeel let go of the man and immediately headed in the direction we'd been given.

Once we were in the forest, it wasn't too hard to guess where the squirrels would be hiding. Tracks left behind by their large feet were clearly visible in the high grass, and there were countless scratching marks left on the trees along the way. Seeing what they had done to the area outside Magnolia City, I felt a little uneasy going in blindly. For all we knew they could be ambushing us. While they weren't that strong on their own, I could imagine them being pretty dangerous in a group, especially if they managed to catch us by surprise. However, my worries were for nothing when five large squirrels gathered themselves before us. So they never planned on ambushing us… They all had a mean grin on their face, showing off their sharp fangs. They looked exactly as I remembered from the last time we fought them. There was no doubt about it; these were the same squirrels we fought seven years ago.

"Seven years…" The one in the middle growled in a low voice. Gajeel and I halted our movements and listened to what the squirrel had to say to us. "… It's been seven years."

"… Day and night." The squirrel next to it spoke.

"… We trained."

"… And we trained."

"Today, we will have our revenge, wizards!" The last one growled. They ended their little introduction with a deafening roar. After that, two of them jumped on the shoulders of two others, with their leader then jumping on top of them, and spoke to us again as he looked down upon us with a furious glare in his eyes. "Behold! Secret Nuts Technique! Combine, Brothers!" Their spell engulfed them in a flash of light. When the light faded again, a single huge monster squirrel stood before us. It was similar in shape of their original forms, but it was at least four times bigger, towering over us. I took a step back when I saw what it had become. Thanks to it sheer size, it looked mighty intimidating, almost making me want to run from it. But I knew I was the one to accept this job, so beating it was the only way out for me. Failure was not an option.

"Let's do this." Gajeel, standing next to me, said and looked ready to fight. I nodded somewhat nervously, and then Prequipped myself with Lightning Battler gear and took my Lightning Edge in one hand. "I'm ready." I told Gajeel to let him know I'd have his back.

Before Gajeel could launch an attack, however, the giant monster squirrel stormed at us, effortlessly pushing trees in its way aside, making a thunderous noise with every step it took. "Dodge!" Gajeel shouted and jumped out of the way of the rampaging squirrel. I was frozen for a moment, taken by surprise of its sudden movement, but snapped back into reality by Gajeel's words, and dived in a nearby bush to avoid ending up under one of its massive feet. Just as the squirrel had past us, Gajeel jumped at its back before it could turn around when it realised we had managed to get out of its way in time. Gajeel held on to the thick fur with one hand, and proceeded to bash the squirrel's back with all his might using his other metal arm. Knowing the squirrels' fur was resistant to my type of magic, I followed his example and landed on its back, right next to Gajeel, and used my sword to try to wound it, but it's fur and skin were so thick, it was hard to get through.

Even so, our attacks must have had some effect as the squirrel let out an agonising roar and tried to shake us off its back. We were getting swung around wildly by its movements, but we held on tight to its fur, unwilling to let go. In a final attempt to get rid of us, the squirrel threw itself on its back, squashing us beneath its heavy body. With all our might we pushed it back up, and as soon as we created an opening, we rolled away to safety. The squirrel hopped back on its hind legs and began to charge magic in its mouth. Having only just barely recovered from almost getting flattened beneath its back, we carefully stepped backwards and prepared to defend against its spell.

It opened its mouth, as it its eyes locked on us, releasing a large beam of magic energy from it that disintegrated everything in its path. Gajeel's metal arm got caught in the fire of the spell, which got a huge chunk taken out of it in an instant. I was fortunate enough to have Lightning Stepped away the moment the beam was fired at us, or else I would've been toast. Gajeel looked like he was in pain, and with effort he filled the gaping hole that was left in his arm.

"You're okay!?" I shouted at him.

"Grr, it's nothing." He growled through gritted teeth. Obviously that wasn't true, but with an answer like that from him, it meant he could at least still fight.

Without giving us a break to rest, the squirrel leaped forward and swiftly swiped its clawed paws at where we were standing. I held up my sword with both my hands just in time to defend myself, but the force from its attack knocked me down onto the ground and forced me to Lightning Step away to avoid the second swipe. Gajeel, being stronger and heavier than I was, was able to stand his ground against the squirrel's repeated attacks with his renewed metal arm as a shield, but he was having a hard time.

"This is your chance!" Gajeel yelled at me over his shoulder while he kept on enduring the incoming hits, as the squirrel was focusing all of its attention on him now.

Easier said than done. The fur of this monster resists a large portion of my attacks, both magical and physical. And with it moving about this wildly, there was no chance to accurately aim for any potential weak spots.

"You're moving or what!?" Gajeel shouted impatiently.

"J–Just a little longer." I said desperately, trying to think of something fast, but nothing was coming up. I knew Gajeel's guard was about to break, meaning I needed to make my move now. Just as I raised my sword to prepare for a magic spell, the giant squirrel ceased its continuous swipe attack and moved back on its hind legs, charging another spell in its mouth. Gajeel's legs were shaking… he wasn't going to be able to dodge this next attack. Right then an idea shot into my head.

"I got this, Gajeel. Stay right where you are!"

"You kidding me!? Do I look like I'm going anywhere!?" He yelled back in anger, hating to be in this vulnerable position and being forced to rely on back up from me.

Multiple spell circles formed themselves in front of the squirrel's wide open mouth as it was charged with powerful destruction magic. Time seemed to slow down, as I concentrated on getting my next move off successfully. Because if I were to fail now, Gajeel would die; I won't allow that to happen. I knew I only had a small window of opportunity, but everything depended on that one moment. The squirrel lowered its head, slowly aiming it downward. Just as its aim was directed at me, I knew this was my one chance. In one swift movement, I threw my sword at the squirrel's head, which disappeared right into its mouth.

With the sword where I wanted it, I extended both my arms forward, with the palm of my hands aimed at the squirrel and released a wave of magic energy, channelling it into the sword. "Teslas Blade!" The squirrel, choking on the sword stuck in the inside of its throat, swallowed all the energy it had gathered, and with all the lightning going off, resulted in a chain of explosions triggering in its innards. When the explosions stopped coming, I ceased the flow of magic to the sword. The squirrel, with a blank look in its eyes, loudly burped and several large clouds of smoke erupted from its mouth. It began to wobble on its feet and then crashed to the ground, right on top of where Gajeel was lying.

With much effort, I pulled Gajeel from underneath the knocked out squirrel. The moment he was freed from his position he bashed me on the head, much harder than was necessary after all I'd done to him.

"Idiot! Took you that long to do something and still mess it up!" He scolded me. I didn't entirely blame him… After all, he took the brunt of the squirrel's attacks and almost got killed in the process.

"I'm sorry…" I apologised weakly while rubbing the painful spot on my head. "Here, let me help you get back to the guild hall." I said, offering him my support. "You look awful… We'll get Wendy to patch you up when we get there."

"Grr, I'll crawl back if I have to, I've had enough of your help for today." Gajeel said while gritting his teeth in frustration and pain.

"Sorry, but I won't let you do that." I grinned and threw one of his arms over my shoulder to help support him. He was in no state to fight back against it.

At a snail's pace we made our way back to the guild hall, where Wendy was already awaiting our return and immediately came to Gajeel's side to heal his injuries. As for collecting the job reward, we would save that for tomorrow. We both needed some good rest after that unexpectedly tough battle with the giant monster squirrel.


	61. Chapter 59 - Entering The Games

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 **CHAPTER 59  
ENTERING THE GAMES**

Since our fight with the monster squirrel, a week has passed. It had been a busy week, filled with many small adventures and jobs. Everyone at the guild was working hard on completing job requests to restore the guild's reputation that had been lost over the years. During my adventures this past week, I had noticed people barely looking up at us Fairy Tail members anymore as we walked by, it's as if most of them had forgotten we still even existed as a guild. It was such a difference from the time before we'd left off to Tenrou Island. Complete strangers used to greet and smile at me, and kids in the streets used to look at me in awe when they saw the guild insignia on my hand, sometimes asking me if they could become member of Fairy Tail, too. Things were different now… We had a long way to go if we wanted things back to how they used to be.

But right now I had more on my mind than just working hard for the guild. The day before, I suffered from headaches again, similar to those I had on Tenrou Island. But as the whispering in my head became clearer, the pain these were accompanied with before had subsided. The voice, no longer broken, but loud and clear in my head, repeatedly whispering this same word, as if it was trying to call me. It had lasted for hours until I eventually fell asleep. It was quiet again since I'd woken up this morning, though I felt I could no longer ignore this… thing in my head. I had to talk to someone about it.

This word, or name, it had been whispering to me - "Firaea." - I knew I had heard it somewhere before, but no matter how much I digged through my head for memories, I couldn't find anything.

With a sigh I entered the guild hall that morning, where I was greeted by a happy looking Wendy. Gajeel was nowhere to be found. "Yo, Wendy…" I said without much energy. I hoped she wouldn't notice, but who was I kidding.

"You look tired. Something happened, Roth?" She asked me worriedly.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about it." I weakly answered as I laid down my head on the table. I kind of felt like going back to sleep.

"It's okay! But you know I'll listen… if you change your mind." Wendy said. I knew she would listen, but I also knew she wasn't the one I needed to speak to regarding this problem of mine. Telling her about it would only make her worry more, and I didn't think there was anything she could do to help me with this.

"Where's Gajeel?" I asked sleepily, ignoring her previous response, just to change the subject.

"… He went on a solo job, since you were late this morning." She said a little sadly. 

* * *

I woke up a little while later from the sound of explosions right outside the guild building. Already so used to these kind of things like these happening in Fairy Tail, I wasn't even worried it might be an enemy, but it still didn't make it easy to have a nap.

"Don't worry. It was just Natsu and Max having a quick one-on-one match." Wendy said to me as she returned to our teamtable. "In any case, would you like to come with me, Mr. Natsu and the others?"

"What for?"I asked, not showing much enthusiasm.

"Uhm. We found out we've gotten a lot weaker compared to all the others during those seven years we were gone, so we're going to Ms. Porlyusica in the woods to ask for help." She explained.

"Hm, I'll pass."

"Okay! But if we find out something from her, I'll let you know!" With that, she waved at me before leaving again.

I yawned and stretched my arms. That short nap had done me well, although I still didn't feel great. With Wendy and the main crew gone, it would probably be a good time to do what I wanted to do today.

"Kinana. You know where Levy's hanging around?" I asked the violet-haired girl who was cleaning the tables during this quiet time in the guild hall.

"I believe I saw her going upstairs this morning." She answered plain and simple.

I thanked her and went upstairs and ended up in a hallway with several doors. I hadn't been here before, so I didn't really know which room was used for what. However, there was one door left ajar. I walked up to it and took a quick look.

"Oh, you're here." I said when I saw Levy sitting there in a chair, reading a book.

With a startled "Eek!" she looked up and dropped the book on the ground. "You… You scared me!" She said with a fearful look in her eyes, then sighed.

"… Sorry. Mind if I come in?"

"It's okay." She managed to smile after that initial shock.

"What were you reading?" I picked up the book she'd dropped and looked at the cover. Going by the spooky image, it was fair to assume it was something scary.

"Hehe… I may not look like it, but I really enjoy a good horror story." She said a little embarrassed, then in a much friendlier tone, "Anyway, what brings you here, Roth? It feels like it's been ages since we've last talked."

I handed her back the book and seated myself on the only bed in the room while thinking of what to say. "I… uhm, just wanted to talk." That probably didn't sound very convincing, but I didn't want to make it obvious the only reason I was here was to ask about the whisper.

"… Okay." She responded plainly, waiting for me to talk about something. The silence between us got awkward, but I couldn't come up with anything to say to break it. "Is something the matter, Roth?" She finally said. "You look pale. Have you had a bad night?"

"You could say that..." Was it that obvious? Wendy had also noticed the moment I arrived at the guild. At least there was no longer a point in avoiding the subject any longer. "Yesterday. There was this… voice in my head."

"Voice? What did it say?" Levy asked.

"Firaea."

"As in Firaea, the Spirit of the Volcano?"

"I don't know. That was the only thing it said." I answered honestly. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Firaea is the name of one of the ancient demi-gods of calamity, with her being the one who ruled over volcanoes and infernos. Sadly, there isn't much known about them, as they were driven away and eventually killed off by the dragons who inhabited this world in far great numbers than them, in a time when humans had more pressing matters than registering the world's history." She explained to me as if she was reading it from a book.

"Ohh." Now I remembered. It was Gray who had told me about this before, when we were on that job to transport the fiery artefact to the new museum. "Then I assume the Tear of Firaea is related to this spirit, considering they share the same name?"

She nodded, then said. "Funny you brought that up. I was catching up on the news, reading old newspapers, and stumbled across this article..." She rummaged through a pile of newspapers, then picked out one and showed the article piece to me. "Apparently, both artefacts mysteriously vanished from the museum in Hargeon only a year after our disappearance."

"What was the other artefact?"

"Tear of Glammelyn. She's said to have been Firaea's twin-sister, ruler of glaciers and blizzards. It's thought the gems guarded by these spirits' remaining power used to contain immensely powerful magic." Levy told me.

"What does this mean?" I then asked, not liking where this was going.

"Many great wizards have tried to unlock the seal on the artefacts, but none were successful. Unless whoever stole these knows how to wield their powers, it's unlikely they'll be able to do anything with them. Though, it's still troubling they just vanished like that." She said with a frown on her face.

I remained quiet for a while, going over everything she's been telling me. I wasn't sure how helpful any of this information could really be to me, but I guessed I was glad to at least know the story behind the name that had been echoing through my head yesterday night. That could maybe bring me one step closer in finding out what all of this meant.

"Thanks, Levy." I said after a few minutes of silence had passed between us and stood up to leave.

"Are you sure you're doing okay, Roth?" She asked me worriedly and looked me in the eyes.

"Yes… I am. I've learned a lot from this talk with you." I felt strangely relieved and at ease, probably because I had finally been able to talk about this with someone who was able to listen and help in some way.

"One moment…." Levy walked up to a large bookcase positioned against one of the walls and searched through it with her reading glasses on. She then took a book from it and handed it over to me. "Here's a book with some of the world's oldest history. It likely won't be able to tell you a lot more about the demi-gods, but you might still find it interesting."

"Thanks so much." I smiled and took the book in my hands. I was really grateful to her for all she did for me.

Don't be shy to talk to me again, if you need help with something." She said to my back as I left her room. I carefully closed the door, making sure to make as little noise as possible, then proceeded on my way back through the hallway, holding the book with one hand.

" _Good boy._ " A voice said, so clear, it sounded like it came from right behind me.

"Who's there!?" I shouted and turned around in an instant. There was nothing but an empty hallway, with nothing looking out of the ordinary. The door to Levy's room opened and Levy stuck her head around the corner with a concerned look on her face. "What happened?"

"… Nothing, never mind. I thought I heard something." I said and sighed. "Really. It's nothing." I said again and walked away, not wanting to claim more of her time. I heard the click of her door closing again. That voice I just heard… it was the same one that had been whispering me that name all night yesterday, but now it just talked to me. I felt like I was starting to go crazy with all this nonsense going on in my head. At least it was quiet again, and hoping it would stay that way for now, I continued on my way downstairs. 

* * *

Levy was right about the book. I had gone over the parts that covered the demi-gods, but there was little more I gained from it after having heard her description of them. I sighed and closed the book. I wondered how long Gajeel and Wendy were going to stay away. That said, I wasn't sure if I'd be in the mood to go on a guild job today, so maybe it was for the best I had some time for myself.

I leaned back in my chair, holding my hands against the back of my head, and pondered about what to do next. It just seemed like another ordinary at the guild. Romeo and Macao were in an argument about something. Levy, who had come downstairs for lunch earlier, was surrounded by her two loyal teammates. Cana sitting at the bar, drinking from a beer barrel. Nab standing in front of the request board, forever deciding on what job to pick. But with Natsu and the others not here, things just weren't very exciting around here. Though, that was soon to change…

"We're back!" Natsu, followed by Gray, Lucy and Wendy, announced their return and entered the guild hall.

"So, how did it go? Did you guys pick up anything worthwhile?" Max showed some interest in the result of their little trip to the woods.

"Wendy did, at least." Lucy said happily. Wendy, holding some papers, smiled brightly. So it hadn't been an entire waste of time then…

"You don't get to decide, Dad! You're not master anymore!" Romeo yelled, interrupting the others. Apparently he was still in some argument with Macao, and both hadn't even noticed Natsu's return. "I'm speaking as a member of the guild!" Macao yelled back at him.

"What's all the fuss about?" Gray inquired to no one in particular and stepped forward.

"Just a regular family argument, I'd say…" Carla said, watching the two argue, then glanced over at Gray. "Clothing, Gray!" Gray, not wearing anything over the upper half of his body, completely ignored her.

"Who doesn't want to participate!? Say aye!" Macao looked for support from his fellow guild members, and got a surprisingly good number of "Ayes" in return. I still had no idea what exactly this what about, but I guessed I would find out sooner or later, and so quietly stayed where I was.

"But we got the Tenrou Team this time!" Romeo argued back against Macao. "We got Big Brother Natsu and Big Sister Erza! Fairy Tail can't possibly lose!"

"But the Tenrou Team missed out on seven years of training!" Warren countered.

"What is all this about participating and not participating?" Natsu finally joined in and asked for more information, as he had as less of a clue as some of the rest of us did.

"While you guys were away, a festival started up to determine Fiore's number one guild! Guilds from all over Fiore gather and compete using magic power! It's known as the Grand Magic Games!" Romeo explained to him. He seemed pretty passionate about it, though the majority of other members didn't share the same feelings.

"Oh!" Natsu responded with a grin. I could see he was already liking the idea of a big competition between wizard's guilds.

"Fiore's number one guild right now is… Sabertooth, was it?" Erza asked.

"Yes! But if we beat Sabertooth and win the games, we can be Fiore's number one guild!" Romeo said, getting all fired up at the idea of Fairy Tail participating and winning.

"That would be nice, but I'm not entirely convinced we can win, given our current state of disarray" Makarov suddenly made his appearance, and rubbed his chin as he spoke.

"Yes! Exactly!" Macao completely agreed with Makarov's words.

"Yeah, but if we do win, the guild will get 30 million Jewel in prize money!" Romeo said with a smile.

"We're participating!" The master instantly made up his mind, the moment Romeo mentioned the crazy amount of prize money.

"Seriously?" Macao questioned him.

"It's pointless! What about Pegasus and Lamia…?"

"Sabertooth isn't our only competition!"

"Don't forget that we've come in last place every single time we entered…" The others who had backed him up earlier also tried to argue against the idea of participating.

"We'll just have to beat them to a pulp!" The master said, showing his fighting spirit and confidence in Fairy Tail as a guild.

"Sabertooth, huh?" Getting more excited with the minute, Natsu stepped with one foot on a table and set his fist ablaze. "I'm fired up now! When is this tournament, anyway?"

"It kicks off in three months!" Romeo said happily, glad that the guild had decided to enter after all.

"That's plenty of time!" Natsu said full with confidence and slammed his flaming fist into his palm. "But we'll have to start training as soon as possible! We'll make Fairy Tail Fiore's number one guild again!"

"Sounds good to me!" Gray smiled.

The other guild members were excited at the idea of participating as well and agreed with giving it their all in the coming months before the festival.

"Now that the final decision's been made, there's no turning back!" Now let's win that 30 mill - Let's win the title of Fiore's greatest!" Makarov quickly corrected himself, but I knew all he really had on his mind was the prize money. "Team Fairy Tail is entering the Grand Magic Games!" With this announcement, It looked like exciting times were coming up for us as a guild.


	62. Chapter 60 - Three Month Training

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 **CHAPTER 60  
THREE MONTH TRAINING**

The next day, early that morning… I was already up and making preparations for the training I was going to do for the coming three months. However, I was interrupted by a knocking on my door. "Who could that be…?" I muttered to myself as I walked up to the door to open it.

"Will you come with us, Roth?" Wendy, wearing a light summer dress, asked as soon as I opened the door. "Natsu, Gray and the others are coming, too!"

"What, no? I was planning on spending the time alone." I mercilessly turned down her invite. I had this feeling it could hard to get much training done when surrounded by the other Fairy Tail members. Not that I disliked being with them, but three whole months just seemed like an awful long time to spend together. Besides, I felt I could use some time alone after all the adventures on Tenrou Island.

"Aw… Gajeel said the same thing." Wendy said, failing to hide her disappointment, but then immediately recovered and smiled. "Well, good luck with your training, Roth!"

"Thanks, you too." I smiled back and waved her goodbye, then went back inside to finish my preparations. Once I got all the things I wanted to bring with me for this journey, I left a note on the table in my room for my landlord to read in case he would notice my absence and decided to check up on me, along with money for the rent for the next three months. Having done plenty of guild jobs all week had put me in a solid financial position. Putting on my cloak and slinging my backpack over one shoulder, I was all set to go. 

* * *

I had decided it would probably be best to spend the next three months in some area where the chance of distractions happening would be small. About half a day walking from Magnolia, there was a little village surrounded by mostly woods and a nearby lake. That way I could still get whatever I needed at the shop, but spend the rest of my time in the wilderness, where it would be unlikely for me to run into other people.

The warm weather made me question my decision to wear this cloak, but at the same time, the hood did help shield my eyes from the harsh sunlight. I kept up a steady pace, despite the heat of the weather; I didn't want to get to my planned location too late, as every day from now on was going to count. It's true what the others had said. The seven year time gap did put us at a lower level compared to everybody else. I had noticed it during my battle against the monster squirrel, which had given us a lot more trouble than it should have… Those squirrels claimed they'd trained for seven years straight and managed to put up quite the fight against us. There was a lot to work on if I wanted to get back in shape to make up for those lost years, but I was determined to work hard for it. I didn't want to let Fairy Tail down.

" _Don't you want to… come to me?_ "

In a reflex, I turned around and scanned the surroundings before realising it was the voice in my head talking to me. I looked around one more time to make sure I was alone. There was nothing but the empty dirt road with trees along both sides. I decided to see what would happen if I spoke back.

"Who are you?" I carefully asked, talking out loud. I felt a little silly for doing this, but since no one else was around to see me, I guessed it wouldn't really matter.

" _I know all… All about you._ "

The voice spoke again after a several minute silence. It didn't seem to want to answer my question, but instead try to fill up my head with more questions. I remained silent,

" _Don't you want to know?_ "

There was no question about it; It was trying to actively get me to talk to it. Just who was this person, claiming to know about me? It must be using some sort of telepathic magic, but that wasn't exactly a very common kind of magic. The only one I knew that could use it was Warren from our guild. Though this voice clearly sounded like a female's, and along with many other reasons, it obviously couldn't be him doing this.

"What do you want from me?" I tried one more time to get a sensible reply out of this mysterious voice.

" _Come to me._ "

It answered after another silence. I had no idea what it meant with that. How was I supposed to come to this stranger if it didn't show itself to me?

"I don't have time to come. I need to get stronger for my guild." I casually responded. I didn't know what else to say if it wasn't going to answer my questions. I waited for a reply, but none came. In silence I continued my journey. 

* * *

The next three months I spent mostly in solitude, only going to the nearby village for basic necessities. The mornings were dedicated to a warming-up session, honing my magic skills, as well as experimenting with new techniques. In the afternoons I followed a schedule of more basic exercises to increase my stamina and build up my strength. The evenings were spent resting and relaxing. I'd brought a few books with me to help me pass the time. At first I'd thought three months was going to be plenty, but time went by flying; by the end of it I felt I could've done with much, much more training. I had certainly become significantly stronger, but whether it was going to be enough to make up for the seven year time gap, I did not know.

All this time alone had made me feel a little lonely though, and I was starting to miss my guildmates.; I couldn't wait to see everyone again. And as strange as it sounds, I was even somewhat missing hearing the voice in my head. It might just have been nice to have had someone to talk to all these days. Maybe I should have gone with Wendy and the others after all… I hoped she had fun with Natsu, Gray and Lucy. I then wondered how much stronger Gajeel would have become. Apparently he had gone training on his own, like I had, but I knew how harsh his training schedule was. That thought made me afraid I might not have done as much as I maybe could have these three months. Would the gap between us two have become larger again? Well, I guessed I would find out once I would return to the guild. I couldn't wait to join my guildmates again.


	63. Chapter 61 - The Chosen Five

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.  
**

 **CHAPTER 61  
THE CHOSEN FIVE**

At long last, Magnolia City was in sight. I didn't think I'd ever be this happy to see it, but being away for three months can do a lot to you. From a distance, the city looked the same as always. From atop this hill, I could even spot my tiny house, far in the distance. However, going home had to wait for a little while longer, much to my heart's dismay. I left the large main road and continued, walking along a smaller cobblestone road leading to our new guild building, which was located quite a distance outside of the city walls.

As I got closer to my destination, I could already see a crowd of Fairy Tail members having gathered outside, in front of the building. Finally seeing everyone again after all this time, I couldn't help but smile. I raised my hand to greet everyone as I arrived.

"Yo, Roth! Thought you'd never show up!" Natsu said with a happy grin. "What took you so long, hehe!"

"Never mind him. We only just arrived an hour ago." Lucy apologized for Natsu's comment with a modest

"You got a lot stronger… I can sense it, Roth." Wendy showed up next to me and looked up at me.

"Yeah. How did things go for you? Or, well, tell me later, I suppose." I said as I saw the guild master stepping forward and looking like he was going to say something. I quickly glanced at the rest of the crowd who had gathered here. Elfman looked ridiculously buffed; just what kind of training had he gone through to build up so much muscle? The other members looked more or less the same as they did before we left for training, but I could sense everyone had become stronger after these three months. That said, I wondered where Gajeel was hanging around. I knew he wasn't really the type to attend to these kind of guild meetings, but since he went away to go training for three months, I thought he'd maybe show a little more interest… 

* * *

"Good work, everyone!" Makarov said as he looked at all of us. "It appears you've each worked hard to prepare for the Grand Magic Games. Right now, I'd like everybody to join me inside."

We all followed him into the guild hall; I wondered what was going to happen next. I quietly stayed in the back rows of the small crowd, where it would be least likely to get involved in a brawl if Natsu would end up fighting – usually with Gray – for whatever reason, as he sometimes did.

"It's time to announce the five members who will represent Fairy Tail at the Grand Magic Games." He continued to talk once we all got here. The silence seemed to grow in density as people awaited the announcement of the names of the five participants. I had no idea there would be only five of us competing in the festival, but I guessed it made sense to have some kind of limit… it just wasn't something I had really thought about.

After clearing his throat, he proceeded to call the names of those chosen to go: "Natsu!" As expected. Natsu possessed powerful Dragon Slayer magic. Even though he wasn't our brightest member, he sure was one of our most passionate.

"Gray!" Not much of a surprise either. As Natsu's rival, he was pretty strong and had plenty of combat experience. The fact the two were rivals worked greatly in our favour, as both of them would have even more motivation to do well during the competition in order to not look worse than the other.

"Erza!" I wondered what took him so long. With her being part of the team, there was no way Fairy Tail could ever lose. Apart from Gildarts, and maybe Laxus, both of which were absent, Erza was our strongest member.

"The remaining two will be Lucy and Roth!"

What? Why was I chosen over somebody like Gajeel? I didn't consider myself weak, but there were certainly stronger picks than me… so, why? Despite not understanding Makarov's decision, I remained quiet and accepted my role as the fifth member on the team. Lucy seemed even more surprised for getting picked than I was, and I didn't entirely blame her. She had never been that much of a fighter, but I guessed having so many of the Celestial Spirits at her command did give her the edge over some of our other members, and would be beneficial when her opponents saw that she could call forth her own team of powerful allies.

Elfman burst out in tears after hearing he wasn't picked as one of the members, and there were some more moans and groans coming from other members, disappointed by the choice for some of the participants.

"Everyone! The Grand Magic Games present the perfect opportunity for us to reclaim the prominence we once held!" Erza said vigorously. "Today, Sabertooth is regarded as Fiore's number one guild – let us take that title – Fairy Tail will be the top guild again!"

"Now I'm fired up!" Natsu said and grinned after Erza's motivational speech. I was definitely ready to do my best of the guild as well, though with our team filled with some of Fairy Tail's strongest and most prominent members, I hoped I wasn't going to be overshadowed by the others. 

* * *

Since we were planning on leaving to Crocus, the capital of Fiore, the very next day already, I headed back home right after the announcement had been made. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for me to rest. I spent the time cleaning the house again and packing new clothes for the journey. Just as I finished, and as I laid myself down on my bed to catch my breath as well as rest a bit, the mysterious voice decided to speak to me again; it was first time in three months that it had called out to me.

" _Aren't you… coming to me?_ "

"I'm on Fairy Tail's team to fight for the glory of our guild in the Grand Magic Games." I answered as if I was talking to a regular person.

" _Oh… the festival. How boring…_ " It sounded disinterested. But it was the first time it actually sensibly responded to something I said. It then continued after a short pause. " _Why do you keep me waiting… Verik?_ "

"What?" Just what did it just call me? Was it a name? It's definitely not mine. Without waiting for another reply, I grabbed the book I got from Levy and searched for the name 'Verik'.

" _Everything you want to know… I can give it to you. Come search for me._ "

It went silent after that. I didn't find any clues in Levy's book either. I sighed and put the book away, attemtping to clear my head from the questions that had popped up after my short conversation with the voice. I needed to get some good rest to be fit for tomorrow. Having not slept in my own bed for a whole three months, the newfound comfort made it easier than ever to fall asleep quickly that night.


	64. Chapter 62 - Capital Of Fiore

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 62  
CAPITAL OF FIORE**

A loud crashing noise woke me up in an instant that next morning, followed by a familiar voice.

"Yo! Wake up!" Natsu yelled.

"Ugh… what?" Being taken out of my sleep so abruptly left me in a complete daze. I sat up and looked around in confusion. Natsu sat on the couch while munching on a piece of bread.

"We're sorry! I… I tried to hold him back, but he wouldn't listen." Lucy apologised and carefully placed a broken door against the wall.

"Oh… Am I late?" My brain was finally starting to activate itself. "Wait! We're leaving right now!?" That totally caught me by surprise. Had I overslept? Actually I had no idea at what time we were going to leave, I completely forgot to ask about that before going back to my house.

"Yes… The rest is waiting for us at the town square. We came here to check if you were actually going to come." Lucy explained.

"Right. Well, let me get dressed and get my stuff. Won't take more than a few minutes!" I said and hastily got out of bed.

"We'll wait outside. Come, Natsu!" Lucy said with a friendly smile, but the way she grabbed Natsu by his muffler and dragged him away wasn't so friendly. ("Hey! Careful with that!" Natsu yelled.)

Oh, man. They completely wrecked the door. How was I going to explain this to my landlord, I wondered as I scratched my head. There wasn't any time, though. I had to get my stuff together; the others were already waiting for me. At least I'd done most of my packing yesterday, so I didn't need much extra time. Making sure I didn't forget to bring something to eat and drink on the way – like I had that time on that mission with Gajeel and Team Shadow Gear – I joined Natsu and Lucy, who were waiting just outside my house.

"Ready to go!" I said, and they nodded as we all moved to meet the others.

* * *

There was a nice looking carriage waiting for us at the town square. It looked like something you'd expect a rich merchant or a nobleman to travel in, and it certainly attracted some attention from the commoners who were here to buy goods at the market. The interior was even more luxurious, with soft cushions for seats to make long journeys not such a painful experience. That was going to be a necessity, as the travel to Crocus should take around three full days. The inside was also large enough for the five of us who were chosen to participate in the Games to sit in without having to worry too much about competing for leg space, which was certainly a step up from that other time…

"Good morning, Roth." Erza politely greeted me, seemingly not at all minding the delay I caused.

"With all of us here, we can finally get on our way!" Gray said with a smile and signalled the driver, so he knew that we were ready to go.

"Where are the others?" I asked to no one in particular. I guessed we wouldn't be the only ones of the guild to go to Crocus. Surely the other guild members would come to watch?

"They went ahead of us, since you got here late." Lucy said.

"So, how much stronger did you get, Roth?" Natsu asked excitedly. I wondered what happened to his motion sickness, but there was the possibility Wendy had cast one of her support spells on him before she left.

"Quite a lot, I hope. It's hard to say without having been able to test my new powers in combat yet, though."

Erza silently nodded in agreement with my statement.

"But I feel I've spent my three months pretty well. How about you guys?" I then asked.

"Really!? Well, things happened and… it's a little complicated. Haha!" Natsu laughed. "But don't worry, I got a bunch stronger!" He then quickly added. The others looked a little uneasy for me asking about their training.

"Anyway, did you go train with Gajeel? Since he didn't come with our group." Gray said, shifting the focus back on me.

" _Are these your… comrades?_ "

The voice in my head suddenly spoke out of nowhere, sending me into a daze that lasted for less than a second. The voice sounded so loud and clear, it was strange to think I was the only one who was able to hear it.

"Hey, you okay?" Natsu looked at me. I saw the others had noticed it as well.

"Y–Yeah. Sorry, what did you say?" I faked a grin, hoping that they wouldn't think it was anything serious. Would the voice know I was unable to respond to It in a situation like this? Was it done deliberately, just to mess with me…? There was a hint of cynicism in that voice, but I was sure I heard some genuine curiosity in it as well. Just what could its intentions be? These thoughts occupied my head for a while, but slowly drifted away, thanks to the continued casual chat with my guildmates. They were quite talkative with me. It sure did feel a lot different than that first time I travelled like this with a few from the guild. These guys really had accepted me as part of their guild. I wasn't just a stranger or rookie to them anymore. They saw me as their friend. A comrade they knew and trusted and cared about.

* * *

The rest of the journey went well, with nothing exciting happening on the way. Natsu's motion sickness returned later that first day, and had continued to heavily plague him the days after, but he put up with it the best he could. After three long days we finally arrived in Crocus. Natsu was the first to leave the carriage in a not-so-elegant manner. He rolled out of it, crashing down on the ground, the moment the driver opened the doors for us and then proceeded to hold both his hands over his mouth in an effort not to throw up. The rest of us decided it might be for the best to exit from the other side, just to be safe…

"I see you kids finally made it." Makarov, along with a small group of other Fairy Tail members, including Wendy and Carla, were already here and greeted us. "We've just finished getting you signed up. Let's show them what Fairy Tail is made of!" It seemed our guild master had put the extra time he got here earlier to good use.

"Hey! It looks like the Fairy Tail guild is here!"

"Those clowns?"

"The weak and eternally-last-place guild!?"

A small crowd of commoners had gathered around when they heard we were from Fairy Tail and began to point and laugh at our group.

"Who just laughed at us!?" Natsu said and I could see anger rising in his eyes.

"Let it go." Erza tried to keep him cool.

"C'mon! You guys finish last place every single year!"

"Sabertooth's gonna win for sure!"

They were getting on my nerves, too. I was sick of hearing about Sabertooth, even though I'd heard the name only a couple of times yet. Everyone just seemed to think they were so great and all, but I knew our guild was way cooler than they could ever be. Regardless, I looked forward to seeing them at the Games, and even more at crushing them with our new powers.

"Listen!" Makarov spoke and ignored the crowd of random people mocking us. "We're doing this for the 30 million - To be Fiore's mightiest guild!" He quickly corrected himself. "Give it your all! Unless we do something, we won't be fit to face our founding master who saved our lives!" I got the part of doing our best, but I certainly had no plans of joining Mavis in the afterlife anytime soon yet, or whatever the master meant with that. "Now, then. The games begin tomorrow… but we unfortunately don't know what they'll be."

"What? But I thought you guys did this every year." Natsu asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but the games change every year." Alzack, being part of those who came to watch, answered.

"Then I guess we play it by ear!" Natsu then said with an excited look in his eyes. "I sure hope there's a battle!"

"Erza! Read through the official rulebook by tomorrow." Makarov said, interrupting the small talk, and handed Erza a rather heavy-looking tome.

"I'm to read all of this?" She said hesitantly while looking at the sheer amount of pages that it contained.

"Don't worry! I have my Wind-Reading Glasses!" Levy said with smile. With the help of her glasses we quickly went through the main rules:

1\. The master of each guild isn't allowed to participate.

2\. Those without a guild's emblem can't participate as a guild's guest.

3\. Each game will remain a secret until just before it begins.

"Makes sense." Gray said and nodded.

"Oh, there's one additional note." Levy suddenly said after flipping a page. "All participants must return to their designated inn by twelve o'clock at midnight.

"There's a curfew?" Erza asked in surprise.

"Cool! We got plenty of time until twelve, then!" Natsu yelled full with energy. "Since we're in such a huge city and all, let's go exploring!"

"Aye, Sir!" Happy happily flew after him.

"Count me in!" Lucy also joined him, liking the idea of doing some sight-seeing in this place.

"You want to come check out the city with us, Roth?" Wendy approached me with Carla at her side, with a bright smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, Wendy. I'd like to spend the time to rest and prepare for the upcoming tournament." I said. I didn't feel too comfortable with letting her go off on her own, but I had other things to worry about right now. With the Games starting in less than twelve hours, I wanted to be ready for it.

"I understand. But try to have some fun, too." She said, really meaning it. I smiled and nodded, then waved her goodbye, as she ran off to explore.

"You sure it's okay to let her go alone?" Erza said rather seriously and showed up next to me, watching Wendy disappear in the crowd of people on the busy streets of Crocus.

"She's got Carla with her." I defended my decision to not go, even though I knew it wasn't that convincing. Even so, Wendy had become quite a strong wizard. She should be able to defend herself, should something happen to her. "Besides, you could follow her if you're worried?"

"She trusts you, Roth." Erza said with a soft smile, emphasising the 'you', and laid her hand on my shoulder.

"Anyway, you're not going to explore the city?" I asked her. It seemed all the others had already gone their own ways, leaving us two behind.

"I'm heading to the inn. Let's go together." She said and left. I turned and followed her.

* * *

The inn wasn't too far from where we were. The innkeeper showed us our room, a nice and cozy-looking space with six large beds, access to a bathroom, closets to store our extra clothes in and a nice view on the bustling streets of the city.

"Wow, I'm already feeling at home." I said and laid myself down on one of the soft beds. Definitely beat whatever I had at home.

Erza didn't answer and seemed occupied with carefully examining every corner of the room, including the insides of the pots and vases. "Nothing appears out of the ordinary…" She said once she finally finished her inspection.

"What? You were expecting to find hidden explosives or something?" I said and chuckled at the idea, but she didn't respond to that either.

I was just unpacking the things from my backpack, when I caught a glance of Erza undressing herself from the corner of my eye. Crazy woman, what is she even thinking, doing that here, with myself standing only metres from her?

"What?" She said, looking at me. Had she noticed?

Without thinking, I looked back at her after she spoke and immediately felt my face reddening at the sight of seeing her half-naked body. I quickly averted my gaze.

"Oh? First time seeing a woman undress?" She teased, letting out a small chuckle. "Don't worry. I'm just going to take a bath."

Being part of this guild where it wasn't uncommon for its members to walk around with barely any clothes on, I sure had seen enough to be used to seeing some skin at this point, but this was way different. Feeling embarrassed about myself and a little upset at how she'd teased me for it, I turned around and silently waited for her to enter the bathroom.

Once I was finally alone, I finished unpacking my stuff and decided to take a nap. I wasn't exactly very tired after three days of nothing but sitting in the carriage to get here, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a bit of extra rest regardless.


	65. Chapter 63 - Taking Responsibility

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 63  
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY**

"Explain yourselves. Where have you been all this time?" Erza's harsh tone cut through the silence like a blade, waking me up from my nap. Natsu, Gray and Lucy were sitting on the floor in front of her with guilty looks on their faces.

"Having a completely unenjoyable meal..." Gray answered.

"We got tangled up with some weirdos… Or more like full-blown involved with them." Lucy spoke for herself and Natsu, who didn't seem to want to say a word about it, but I saw anger in his eyes, making me wonder what exactly has happened.

"Ah, Roth. You're finally up." Erza said to me after being satisfied with the responses she got out of the three others. "It's almost time, we should get ready."

I nodded in agreement. "Say, has any of you seen Wendy?" I then asked.

"No. I thought you two would be going together, since you're on the same team and all." Lucy said.

"I'm pretty sure she's with Carla, so I doubt she's gotten lost." Happy spoke before I could say that I let her go off on her own.

"The other members are staying at a different inn, it's likely she went there." Erza said. I hoped she was right about that, though there would be no time for me to check up on it now; there were barely more than five minutes left before midnight.

Without bothering to knock on the door, Elfman and Lisanna came barging in. "Hey! We brought ya some supplies for the tournament!" Elfman said and was carrying a crate with drinks.

"Tomorrow's the big day!" Lisanna smiled and held a bag with all sorts of food in it.

"Are you guys here to watch the Grand Magic Games too?" Natsu greeted them with a grin.

"Yeah! I wish I could've entered too so I could impress my sisters… but a man knows when to quit!" Elfman replied. If he really minded the fact he wasn't chosen to enter, he didn't show it.

"You guys are staying at the other inn with the rest of our guild members, correct?" Erza asked the two. "Do you know if Wendy returned before you came here?"

"Actually, we were going to ask you guys about that." Elfman said with a somewhat worried look. "Since she hasn't come to our inn, we thought she might've gone here instead."

* * *

A sound came from the clock in the room, indicating it was exactly twelve o'clock, followed right away by the loud ringing of church bells elsewhere in the city.

"Attention, guild members who've gathered for the Grand Magic Games!" A voice suddenly could be heard. "G'morning!"

"Outside?" Erza said, and we followed her onto the balcony of our hotel room. It didn't take long for us to spot whatever was talking. A huge hologram of a figure wearing a pumpkin mask appeared above the buildings in the city, announcing to us the start of the Grand Magic Games.

"The preliminary round to narrow the one-hundred-thirteen participating teams down to eight will now begin!" There was a shock amongst our small group. To think there were this many guilds participating in the Games… And only eight would be going through to make it to the real tournament; that's some serious competition. "The preliminary round rules are simple!" After that sentence from the hologram, the ground began to shake and the whole building rose up into the air. Ours wasn't the only one, as we saw multiple other inn buildings rise up in similar fashion.

"You will now participate in a race! The Domus Flau stadium is the goal! Only the first eight teams to reach the goal will qualify for the Games!" A path of floating stones appeared in front of our balcony, leading up to a humongous, complex-looking structure floating in the air above the city. "You're free to use magic! There are no limitations! However, all five team members must cross the goal for it to count! Let the Grand Magic Games' preliminary Sky Labyrinth round begin!"

"A race? Then we better get moving." Gray said, getting straight to business.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed enthusiastically.

"I'm going to look for Wendy." I said and already turned around to leave.

"Didn't you hear what the announcer said, Roth? We need all five members to reach the goal." Erza said and stopped me in my tracks.

"Elfman. You said you wanted to impress your sisters? Here's your chance." I said to him.

"What's gotten into you? We can let Elfman and Lisanna search for her." Gray protested against my decision to let Elfman take my place.

"If I had gone with her, this might not have happened. I made a wrong choice, and so, I will take responsibility for it. Elfman is more than fit to go in my stead."

"But -" Elfman wanted to argue against it.

"Look, there's no time for you guys to waste. The race has already started. Don't worry about me… I'll find Wendy and join you guys for the tournament as soon as I can, all right?"

"Very well. You're right. There's no point in standing around here any longer." Erza decided, realising I wasn't going to change my mind over this. "Elfman. You're with us. Let's go!" Right as she had finished saying those words, Elfman grabbed the whole bunch of them and carried them under his arms, as he ran over the path leading to the labyrinth in the sky.

"Leave it to me!" Elfman yelled. He looked happy to have gotten a chance to participate in the Games as well.

* * *

"Roth. We'll help looking for Wendy, too." Lisanna said to me after they'd left, and used Happy to fly down. I leaped off the balcony; using Lightning Step, I could make my way down to the ground in a flash.

Obviously I wasn't happy letting go of my position as participant, but Wendy having gone missing just wasn't something I could ignore, especially since I was the one who let her go explore the city all alone. At least Elfman didn't seem to mind taking my place for the time being; I had no doubt he wouldn't let the others down.

Now, where could Wendy have gone off to? I hadn't given it much thought before, but now that I was running through the streets of this city, I realised just how big the place really was. There just wasn't going to be enough time to check every corner, even with using my Lightning magic to enhance my movement speed.

"Hey, Roth." A voice said in my head. This time a familiar one, though.

"Oh, Warren?" I responded a bit confused, not really being used to his telepathic ability that much yet. Luckily, I did remember having to place two of my fingers against the side of my head in order to communicate back through it.

"We've sent out the other guild members to look for Wendy as well. You've had any luck yet?"

"No… I've covered only one district so far, but this place is huge."

"I see. Well, keep looking. I'll leave the telepathic channel open in case you find something."

"Got it." I replied and continued my search.

What kind of places would she have wanted to visit in a city like this? That question kept going through my head, as I rushed through nameless streets. Then the image of the royal castle came into my line of vision… That might be it, I suddenly realised. Then again, would they even allow tourists in a place like that? Regardless, it could be worth a shot.

"Warren. Have you guys checked the castle area yet? If not, I'm heading there right now." I communicated using the telepathic channel.

"Good thinking, and no, it is one of the few places we haven't searched yet."

* * *

Using consecutive Lightning Steps, getting to the castle was a matter of mere seconds. But I was halted by a pair of guards standing in front of one of many entrances leading to the inner areas. I explained to them the situation of our missing guild members as calmly as I could in the hopes they would let me through. One of the guards whispered something at the other; I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but with the serious looks on their faces, I had little hope for success.

"His Majesty is eagerly looking forward to the Grand Magic Games, so we certainly don't want anything to interfere with that. But don't go any further than the castle courtyard." The two finally decided after a moment.

That went easier than I thought. I thanked the guards and walked past them. It'd probably be safer to not use magic to avoid giving them any reason to kick me out, not to mention I was starting to feel drained after the continuous usage of my Lightning Step spell earlier. The courtyard consisted of a large colourful garden, with lots of flowers and a hedge maze. It sure was tempting to use my magic, but I'd just have to do this the normal way. Being out of sight of any guards, I could at least run to speed up my search a little.

After being met with at least a dozen of dead ends inside the hedge maze, I came across a familiar looking purse lying on the ground. I ran up to it and, as I came closer, I recognised it as Wendy's. So I was on the right track. I contacted Warren about it, who afterwards immediately sent the others in this direction as well.

Not much farther from where I'd found the bag, I finally spotted Wendy and Carla. They were both lying in the grass in a random corner of the maze. I knelt beside Wendy and checked if she was breathing at all. Her breathing was slow but steady… That meant they were alive. Still, there were no signs of any injuries or anything that hinted towards something that might've happened to them. I laid my hand on her forehead to check her temperature, but everything seemed normal, though I had difficulties sensing her magic power. It was as if she was completely drained. Just as I removed my hand, she slowly opened her eyes.

"N–No…!" She weakly said in fear and shielded her face using her hands. Was she hallucinating?

"Don't worry. It's me." I softly spoke to her to calm her down. She suddenly came to her senses and relaxed her arms, then looked directly at me.

"Roth? What… happened to me?" She asked.

"I only just found you here. You don't remember anything?"

She merely shook her head in response.

"Okay. First, we'll get you out of here and get you to a place to rest. Can you stand up on your own?"

She tried to get up, but it was no use. Being entirely drained of her magic energy, she had barely any power left in her body. I carried her out of the hedge maze, where I found the other guild members waiting for us. I handed Wendy, who had gone back to sleep already, to Jet and told him to bring her to the inn. I went back one more time, this time to get Carla out of there; she had been unconscious all this time. When I took her in my arms, I could feel that she, too, had been completely drained of magic energy. When I returned to the others again, I was being told Wendy had been moved to the infirmary inside Domus Flau, the stadium in which the tournament would be held, instead.

I didn't speak a single word on the way to the stadium with the rest of the guild members. I felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt for letting all of this happen to my two teammates. Although none of them showed it at the moment, I wondered if the others were mad at me. Did they think I had acted irresponsibly? Wendy and Carla could have died there… We were lucky they hadn't, but… how was I ever going to make up for this?


	66. Chapter 64 - Let The Games Begin

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 64  
LET THE GAMES BEGIN**

"You're ready to compete in the tournament, or do you need me to take your spot for the remainder of the event?" Elfman grinned at me, somewhat hoping I would let him, but I shaked my head and smiled. "I'm sorry, but I'm reclaiming my original place in Fairy Tail's team."

"Gah! Fine, then you should wear this… it's way too small for me anyway." Elfman grumbled and handed me a set of new clothes, white and dark purple in colour, with our guild's emblem imprinted onto it.

"It's what we wear for the tournament." Gray pointed out. "Looks quite good I'd say so myself."

"Then why aren't you wearing them?" Lucy shrieked at the half-naked Gray.

I went to a room for myself to change clothes. It was still early in the morning, but from the noise coming from the arena, it seemed everyone was ready for the tournament to begin. Yesterday night had been terrible… After putting Carla in bed with Wendy and then going to bed myself, I had had trouble falling asleep to the point where I spent at least half the night involuntarily keeping myself awake with feelings and thoughts of guilt about what had happened. Having had only four hours of sleep, I didn't feel great, but I had to try my best for the guild. I didn't want to mess up any more for them. 

* * *

"I'm done. When do we start?" Wearing my new, stylish uniform, I returned to the rest of the team.

"It's starting soon. But before we go, let's check up on Wendy? Perhaps she has woken up?" Erza suggested. Being reminded of Wendy sent a sting of guilt through me again.. and yet no one was acting like I was the one to blame for her situation. They all acted like I had nothing to do with it… In fact, I had even been thanked for being able to find her and helping her bring here. I was grateful everyone was so forgiving of my mistakes, but that still couldn't take away these painful feelings.

Hesitantly, I followed the others to the room where Wendy and Carla were at. They were both still asleep in the same bed, looking the same as they had when I left them there last night. Their magic energy still was very weak and hard to sense, even from this close.

"Wendy!" Natsu yelled and immediately rushed to the side of her bed. The others followed him into the room in a calmer manner. I kept my distance and stayed standing in the door opening. She woke up not seconds later, probably from the noise Natsu had made upon entering.

"Mister Natsu…" She said softly and slightly turned her head to look at him.

"What happened!?" Natsu immediately asked her.

"I'm sorry… I… can't really remember…" After speaking those words, she seemed to be in pain.

"She appears to have magic deficiency syndrome." An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind them.

"Miss Porlyusica!" Lucy said in surprise when she turned around. An elderly woman, wearing a long, crimson cape, stood in the other side of the room. I'd never seen her in person before, but from what I heard, she was regarded as very knowledgeable in many things, especially when it came to treating wounds and illnesses.

"Magic deficiency syndrome is a condition of weakened physical strength after a sudden, massive depletion of magic power. They'll both recover once they've had enough rest." She proceeded to explain.

"Who did this to you?" Natsu asked and turned to Wendy again.

"It's still a big blur for the most part… But I… remember seeing a weird black creature…" Having that memory return to her caused a sudden shock, and her now-wide and terrified eyes were hidden as she covered her head with the bedsheets. The thin material couldn't muffle the soft sound of her crying, however, and the act broke my heart.

I couldn't take any more of it and silently left. I made my way through the empty corridor underneath arena and slammed my fist into the wall once I was sure they wouldn't be able to hear me. I hated myself for letting this happen to her… I struck the wall once more, this time hard enough to create cracks in it. Whoever had done this to her… I would make sure they were going to pay for it. With a trembling fist, I had to keep myself from hitting that wall again; I was sure my next hit would completely pulverise it.

" _Interesting…_ "

The mysterious voice in my head suddenly spoke, breaking me out of my state of intense anger. I relaxed my body and sighed deeply. I couldn't allow myself to lose control… Fairy Tail had put their faith into me for the tournament. Not bothering to respond to the voice, I waited, leaning against the wall in the empty corridor, for the others to arrive. The noise coming from above was getting louder with the second. If I had to guess, the Games were about to begin. They'd better hurry…

At that moment, Natsu, Gray, Erza and Lucy came my way. They all had a grim look on their face. They, too, must be angry with what had happened to Wendy. I sort of expected one of them to yell at me once they reached me, but still none of them seemed to show any sign of blaming me for what has happened to Wendy. I quietly joined them and we walked together through the rest of the corridor until we came close to the exit, where we stood waiting. The atmosphere felt tense… I wondered if any of them were nervous. With my anger somewhat subdued for now and the tournament beginning any second now, I began to feel uneasy with the idea of being watched by thousands of people. 

* * *

"Now to introduce the competitors!" I could hear the commentator speak. His voice echoed throughout the entire stadium and caused the noise from the crowd to die down. This was our cue, as we had been informed our team would be introduced first. We all proceeded to exit the corridor into the large, open field.

"First up, in eighth place! Can this rowdy bunch with an uncharacteristic name reclaim its former glory!? It's Fairy Tail!" Having the name of our guild announced, Natsu raised his fist proudly. We were showered by a thundering booing from every direction.

"What!?" Natsu exclaimed. I didn't get it either. Was Fairy Tail this disliked by the rest of Fiore?

"Despite coming in last every year before, Fairy Tail has already managed to clear the preliminaries and secure its spot as one of the top eight guilds! Will the Tenrou Team's sensational return help them become Fiore's greatest guild!?" The announcer did his best to make our entrance sound as cool as possible, but the continuous booing didn't really help lift our spirits.

"Commence cheering!" A loud voice could be heard from a small corner in the arena, followed by the cheers of more familiar voices. I looked in the direction where it came from and saw the rest of the Fairy Tail members who had come to watch us. They were trying their hardest to have their voices be heard over the rest.

"Hooray!" Asuka squealed, leaning precariously over the edge with her parents keeping their hands on her so she didn't topple off in her excitement.

"Stay manly!" Elfman roared, Lisanna atop his shoulder and waving her arms, her brother's voice drowning her own out.

"Go, Lu! Go, Erza! Go, Natsu! Go… Gray, put your clothes back on! Go, Roth!" Levy called, hugging Lily close to her as she yelled as loudly as she could. The poor black cat covered his ears. I noted that Gray was nervously pulling his shirt back down.

"Our comrades' cheers are all we need." Erza stated with a smile.

"Whoa, look!" Natsu suddenly said as he looked at our guild's little corner.

"Hooray! Hooray! Fairy Tail!" A familiar, but very unexpected figure was sitting on the stone railing, next to the other members. No way, what was Mavis doing here? It sure was nice to have at least one more cheering for Fairy Tail, but this one person being the guild's founder sure would put even more pressure on us doing well. This was going to make me try even harder to not mess things up.

"Haha! Our first master is gonna watch us!? We got this in the bag!" Natsu grinned with confidence. 

* * *

The announcer proceeded to introduce the other participating teams, that entered and joined us on the field, one by one as they were called out. Quatro Cerberus, calling out their signature "Wild… Four!", Mermaid Heel's all-girls team, Blue Pegasus's trimens and a rabbit, Lamia Scale, who seemed rather intimidating with Jura at their side, Raven Tail…

"What are they doing here!?" Natsu exlaimed.

"This is bad… Their leader is Master Makarov's son, Ivan." Erza said. I looked at the bunch of them. They all looked slightly crazy and sinister. I didn't know what was going on with that guild and their members, but I had a bad feeling about them.

"Fairy Tail… The girl was our way of saying hello." The tall, masked person from Raven Tail spoke to us. On his shoulder was sitting a tiny imp-like creature who did an impression of Wendy fainting. What caught my eye was the creature's small size and inky black colour, which fit Wendy's description perfectly. Knowing that these guys were the ones behind the attack on her, I had trouble keeping myself under control. They were lucky we were in the arena and being watched by thousands, or else I'd have crushed them the moment they revealed themselves.

"In second place is… Oh, wow! What a surprise!" The second-to-last team was about to get introduced. "Will these fallen wings be the key to a soaring victory!? It's… Fairy Tail Team B!"

Mirajane!? Gajeel!? Juvia!? Laxus!? … Mystogan!? Isn't that against the rules!? I didn't even know how to react to this. To think Fairy Tail somehow managed to enter two separate teams into the competition, was such a thing even allowed? But I was glad to see Gajeel had managed to make it after all. His magic power seemed incredibly much higher than what I remembered. He must've trained hard those three months.

While the crowd was sending more boos towards Fairy Tail, the commentators discussed the fairness of letting our guild compete with two teams, and eventually came to an agreement that it didn't go against the official rules of the tournament.

"This is a bunch of crap!" Natsu shouted angrily at Fairy Tail Team B. "Even if we're in the same guild, I'm gonna fight you with everything I got! I ain't holding back!" He pointed his finger at Gajeel. "Being in this tournament makes you my enemy! I ain't gonna lose to you!"

Gajeel calmly came up closer to him. "Bring it on, Mr. Barely-Came-In-Eighth-Place." He said to Natsu's face with a smug grin, to which Natsu had nothing left to say, because he knew it was true that his team had come in last place during the preliminaries.

Come to think of it, Team B might actually be even stronger than our team. Sure we had Erza, but they had Laxus, who was rumoured to be at least, if not, stronger than our scarlet-haired Titania in magic power. They also had Mira and Mystogan, both of which were S-class wizards. I knew Gajeel was stronger than me, and a close match compared to Natsu. Their team was amazing, and definitely intimidating. Though I couldn't be too worried; Team Natsu was known for their endurance and refusal to give up. 

* * *

Having cleared up the confusion about Fairy Tail's two teams, it was time to introduce the final team. "And last, but not least, is the only other team to clear the qualifying round! Yes! You know them already! The most powerful, most indomitable and most formidable of all!" The stadium was booming with cheers and applause. "The one and only Sabertooth!"

A group of five impressive looking wizards entered, each of them possessing incredible magic power. I already disliked them for having taken Fairy Tail's spot as number one guild during the years we had been gone, but I now understood why they were so successful. Winning from them wasn't going to be an easy task, that much I could tell just by sensing their magic energy.

"Those are all the teams that'll be competing! Now, then! It's time to unveil the event schedule for the Grand Magic Games!" With that, an enormous slab of stone rose from the centre of the arena, detailing the day by day schedule of the tournament. Each day seemed to consist of one secret contest plus several one-on-one battles. After the scoring system was explained to all of us, it was time for the first event to begin.


	67. Chapter 65 - Bad News Good News

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 65  
BAD NEWS GOOD NEWS**

"All right! It's now time for the Grand Magic Games' opening event, Hidden to begin!" The commentator announced right after going over the schedule and basic rules of the tournament.

"Hidden? What's that?" Lucy asked, but none of us could give an answer to that question. It sure was the first time I heard of it. I guessed we'd just have to wait and see.

"At this time, we'd like each team to select one member to compete! Once your selections are made, the rules will be explained in their entirety!" The commentator continued.

"I'm not sure what the rules are, but if it's called 'Hidden', then hiding must play a central part in it." Erza stated as we were thinking on who of us should be the one to enter the first competition. None of the members on our team, however, were specialised in sneaking around and using stealth. In that case, it probably shouldn't matter too much who we were going to pick for this one, although it might be for the best if Natsu wasn't going to be it…

"I'll take it." Gray said decidedly after seeing Lamia Scale going with Lyon. None of us had any objections with that choice and let him have our spot in the first round of the tournament. The moment Gray was announced as participant, Juvia took the spot to compete for Fairy Tail's Team B.

"All eight teams have chosen their competitors! Now for the rules of the opening game, Hidden…! Will each team's Hidden competitor please step forward?" A tiny figure wearing a large a pumpkin head with a hat on top asked them. He stood in the centre of the arena and looked exactly like the hologram we'd seen above the city when the preliminary round was announced, except for the fact he was normally sized this time.

"You can do it!" Lucy cheered on Gray when he headed off.

"You better not lose, Snowflake! Ya hear me, pal!? We're better than Gajeel's team and them Saberjerks and Raven…" Natsu got lost trying to remember the names of the other teams we wanted to beat in this.

The rest of our team then moved closer to the edge of the arena to make room for whatever would take place inside the ring and continued to watch from a distance.

Out of nowhere, buildings materialised all inside the arena. It was like we were suddenly standing right in front of a small town. To think all of this was done by magic… The amount of magic that must cost. I got dizzy just by thinking about it.

"Those of you in the stands can follow the action in the town via these lacrima-trons!" The commentator said, and his words were followed by a row of large rectangular screens appearing in a circle above the field, making it easy for the crowd to follow what was going on in the town area. "The eight competitors are unable to keep tabs on each other, however!" He continued, then proceeded to explain the rules.

The goal of the game was find the other players and then strike them with any magic. The competitor who delivered the attack would score one point. But there was more; suddenly the entire town got filled with hundreds of magic look-alikes of the eight competitors.

"Grmph! The thought of that many Grays really grosses me out, man…" Natsu responded childishly to that turn of events.

"This isn't good. Even we'll have trouble telling which Gray is the real one." Erza said worriedly. I agreed with that, but the same went for the other competitors. They would all have a tough time finding the real versions of their opponents.

"Should you mistakenly attack a copy, you'll lose one point!" The commentator finished explaining the rules of the game. "Now, then! Vanish into the silence, like a black cat lurking in the darkness of night! Let Hidden begin!"

* * *

Fairy Tail Team B was quick to lose a point thanks to a love–struck Juvia embracing the nearest Gray she could find. Well, that was predictable. I wasn't sure whether to be sad about this or not. Obviously I didn't want Fairy Tail to lose points, but at the same time, I kind of wanted our team to do better than Team B.

Gray encountered his first real opponent, who simply just approached him, not even trying to hide himself. Gray immediately attacked him, crushing him with an Ice Hammer spell. Just when I was expecting to see our team's first point added to the score, the opposite happened, and we lost one point instead. How did that even happen?

"The real one was further back!?" Natsu said in surprise. That was certainly a bad start for both our teams, but there should still be plenty of time to score points. Looking at how crazy this game was, I was glad I wasn't the one competing.

Just as I finished those thoughts, Gray was hit in the back by the same enemy again. Really, we were two points down already, and the game had only just begun. And his opponent… Was he hunting for our members or something? Come to think of it, wasn't he the one from Raven Tail? I didn't remember his name just now.

Just when Juvia managed to score one point for the team for landing an attack on Lyon, the Raven Tail member showed up again, attacking both Juvia and Gray. There was no doubt about it. They really were picking on just us. But for what reason?

Rufus from Sabertooth showed himself standing on top of a tower in the town. He hadn't scored or lost a single point yet, and this was in fact the first time I had seen the real version of him in this game so far. Using magic, he shrouded the area around the town in a layer of twilight, and then launched bolts of lights, accurately aimed at all the other competitors in the field. Only Raven Tail's member managed to dodge the attack, but when he attempted to strike Rufus, he simply disappeared and then reappeared again behind him, and struck him with another bolt of light in the back. That was unbelievable. Hitting all others and scoring enough points to claim first place with just one move.

Gray, angered by Rufus's display of confidence in winning the game, charged directly at him, but got taken out by a surprise attack from Raven Tail's competitor, taking yet another point away from our team. The game lasted for only one more minute, in which nothing more happened, before the town with its magic copies vanished again.

"The game is now over! Here's a look at the ranking!" A scoreboard appeared over the field, showing the amount of points each team had scored and their overall ranking. Both Fairy Tail teams were at the bottom, with our team sitting at a grand total of zero points. That was pretty depressing to say the least.

"As anticipated, Sabertooth claims the top spot! Stupendously done! Both Fairy Tail teams gave an impressive showing, but have unfortunately gotten off to a bad start! There's always next time!" The commentator said.

This was exactly what the audience wanted to see, and that only made it worse. With all the mockery towards our guild coming from the spectators, Natsu got angry and shouted back at them, but he was completely ignored.

"That's enough." Erza calmly said and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry." Gray said with a shadow covering his face as he returned to us.

"It's okay. It's still just the start." Lucy tried to tell him, but he just walked past us and disappeared into one of the corridors under the stadium. I could tell he was angry about his own performance, and about what happened with Raven Tail during the game. I wanted to tell him he'd really done his best for the team, but it would probably be better to wait with that for later. We didn't get much time to be sad about our first loss, as the next event was already getting announced.

* * *

"Next up is the battle segment! Our very first match in this year's Grand Magic Games will test the abilities of Fairy Tail's Zodiac wielder, Lucy Heartfilia, against the crimson intensity, Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

With the first battle about to begin, we were prompted to leave the field and take a place in a designated stand for a better view of the match. Once only Lucy and Flare were left on the field, the rules of the fight were explained. The winner of a battle adds ten points to their team's score. Battles have a time limit of thirty minutes. If that limit is reached, and neither combatant is knocked out or has forfeited the match, it will be counted as a draw, and both teams receive five points.

"Now, let the first match begin!"

This would be an interesting fight. Lucy was probably our team's weakest link, as she didn't have as much combat experience as the rest of us, and she was very reliant on her Celestial Spirits to do the work for her. That said, with plenty of spirits at her command, she does have a good arsenal of fighters to assist her, each with their own unique abilities. I had no idea what kind of magic Raven Tail's Flare was capable of, but I sensed a dark, eerie magic energy coming from her. An energy that gave me a bad feeling. Lucy better be careful in this match…

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" Lucy immediately opened with one of her stronger spirits. Taurus was quite powerful, but he lacked speed. Flare easily dodged Taurus's fierce axe swing by jumping into the air.

"Open, Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!" And another Celestial Spirit was summoned while the other one was still out. I didn't know Lucy was capable of doing such a thing. She must have trained hard to achieve this. This would certainly help increase her chances of winning.

Scorpio launched a powerful Sand Buster at Flare, but Flare used magic to control her long hair to form a shield to protect herself from the attack. Though Lucy wasn't done yet. Next, she ordered her spirits to combine their powers. Taurus charged at Flare once again, surrounding his axe with a cloud of sand, and using it to perform "Sandstorm Axe! Aldebaran!" The entire field got shrouded in a whirlwind of sand and dust, forcing me to shield my eyes to keep sand from getting in them. Even if I wasn't able to see a thing because of it, I knew that attack Taurus just used sure was pretty powerful. If it actually landed a hit on Flare, it should've done significant damage to her.

Once the sand settled and vision over the field returned, I could see Flare flying through the air from the attack. While still in mid-air, she began to attack with a spell using her hair. "Hair Shower! Wolf Fang!" A large, crimson wolf figure was created with her hair and leaped directly at Lucy.

"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" In a reflex, Lucy summoned the perfect counter against Flare's attack. Cancer's scissors cut through Flare's hair wolf as if it was made of paper, causing it to immediately disappear. That was great thinking on her part. However, Flare didn't quite appreciate having her precious hair cut.

"Curse you!" She screeched in pure anger, and then sent her hair drilling into the ground, only to have it emerge again beneath Lucy and grabbing both her feet. She used her hair with Lucy caught by it to sling her in circles and then slammed her onto the ground. Lucy took her special whip, Fleuve d'étoiles, and used to fight back against Flare, coiling it around one of her arms to restrict her movement. It was hard to say which of the two was having the advantage at this point. They seemed pretty evenly matched as far as I could tell by just watching.

In another burst of rage, Flare sent her hair into the ground again. Was she trying to go for Lucy's feet again? I could see Lucy waiting for the hair to pop up at any time, but nothing was coming. Just what was she trying to do if Lucy wasn't the target of her next move? Seconds passed, but nothing was happening. The crowd was starting to get impatient, demanding more action from the two girls. Flare seemed to gesture something at Lucy, but from my location, it was hard to tell what exactly she was doing. Something seemed off, though. Natsu and the others were feeling the same thing. Lucy looked at the bunch of cheering Fairy Tail members, and at that moment, she was caught in the face by a lightning-fast hair whip from Flare, knocking her down to the ground.

* * *

Lucy remained on her knees. Why wasn't she getting up? Were her legs hurting so badly from Flare's previous attacks? Flare then began to furiously whip Lucy with her hair while laughing manicially. No, Lucy! Get up and fight back already! But she wasn't doing anything and continued to take a beating from Flare's flurry of attacks. Using Fire magic, Flare heated up her hair, making it glow a bright red and used it to strike Lucy with even more painful blows. Lucy had to do something and fast or she could end up dying like this… I was getting angry having to watch her getting beaten up like this. Something must be wrong! Just moments ago the two of them were fighting on equal footing, how did this match up in a one-sided beating?

Flare used her hair to grab Lucy by her arms and legs, preventing her from doing anything, and threatened to burn her body with her hair.

"Where did Natsu go?" Erza asked all of a sudden.

"Huh? He was here only moments ago?" I said in confusion. Being so focused on watching the match, I hadn't been paying much attention to my surroundings to have noticed him running off.

Natsu suddenly showed up in the main Fairy Tail stand with the other guild members, and shouted at Lucy. "Lucy! Now!"

Somehow, Lucy seemed to have regained her power again, and summoned Gemini from her tight position. The twin spirit split up, with one headbutting Flare in the face and the other freeing Lucy from the hair that was holding her limbs. They then fused together and transformed themselves into another copy of Lucy. I wondered what exactly she was planning on using that for.

"Stars far and wide that measure and open the heavens…" Both Lucys stood next to each other, holding one arm stretched out to the side with the palms of their hands connecting and chanted some kind of spell in perfect sync. "With thy radiance, reveal thy form to me." A radiating spell circle appeared beneath their feet, and large amounts of magic power were sent into the centre of it.

"Oh, Tetrabiblios, I am the ruler of the stars… Aspect become complete, open thy malevolent gate! Oh, eighty-eight stars of the Heavens… Shine!" The two Lucys stood back to back, but still holding hands before they floated into the air and fired off their spell.

"Urano Metria!"

A barrage of projectiles made of pure light shot out from the sky and flew in circles across the field. Flare sat on the ground, looking in fear at what was happening. A bright flash of light lit up the entire stadium, but once the light faded, nothing seemed to have happened. All of the magic power that Lucy had gathered had completely vanished and her spell didn't appear to have done any damage to her opponent. All of us had looks of confusion on our faces, including the two combatants, as to what just happened. With having poured everything she had in that last spell, Lucy was out of magic power and fell to the ground.

"Oh, my! Lucy is down! The match is over!" The commentator spoke. "The winner is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

Flare stood up with the same creepy smile she had shown earlier, enjoying the cheers she got from the crowd. Meanwhile, us Fairy Tail members could do nothing but wonder what had gone wrong with Lucy's spell. I didn't understand… how could her spell just vanish like that? Something wasn't right. That much magic power should've been able to win her the match right there and then, and the spell had been completed. She hadn't dropped until after it had been cast, so the only way it could disappear would be foul play.

"Is Lucy doing all right?" Erza asked Natsu when he returned to us after he helped her getting up in the field.

"She seems okay. Says she wants to take a shower." He answered with a smile. He really did seem in high spirits, even after Fairy Tail lost two competitions and was still sitting at zero points. I wish I could say the same about myself, but I couldn't help but feel a bit down about everything that's happened so far.

"I can check on her again if you want." Natsu said with a grin.

"Don't even think about it." Erza grabbed him by his scarf to prevent him from actually doing it. "The second match is about to begin." That changed his mind and he went back to spectating.

"No Fairy Tail match, huh?" I said, showing no interest in the upcoming battle, and walked off.

"Wait a sec!" Natsu shouted at me. "You aren't planning on checking Lucy while she's showering, are you!?"

"… No." I responded dryly. "I'm going to visit Wendy for a bit."

"Make sure to be back in time. Fairy Tail's having another match later." Erza said to me before I disappeared into the corridor.

* * *

I hadn't even apologised to Wendy yet after I found her unconsciously yesterday. She might be interested in the results so far, too… Sadly, there wasn't much good news to share.

I gently knocked on the door to her room, then carefully opened it to prevent making any more unnecessary noise and entered.

"Don't mind me." Porlyusica said, sitting on a stool in the other corner of the room with her arms crossed, when she saw me looking at her and then closed her eyes. She must have been here all day and night taking care of Wendy without having had time to get any rest herself; perhaps she was waiting for someone else to come here to take over guard duty for a little while?

I took a seat next to Wendy's bed and looked at her for a while. Both her and Carla seemed asleep, but their energy levels seemed different than from this morning. At least I could sense some of Wendy's magic energy having returned to her, meaning she was well on her way recovering.

"I'm… so sorry. For letting you get hurt." I softly said, despite not being sure whether or not she was able to hear me at this moment.

"No. It's fine." Wendy slowly opened her eyes and responded somewhat weakly, though she sounded better than she did this morning. "You're not to blame, Roth." She smiled lightly.

"Shouldn't you be with the others?" She asked after a moment of silence.

I shook my head. "There won't be any Fairy Tail matches until later. I just wanted to come check on you. How are you feeling?"

"Better, though Ms. Porlyusica told me it could still take up a full day or two before I'll be fully recovered." She then looked at Carla lying beside her. "I just hope Carla will be okay... She hasn't woken up once yet."

Not knowing what to say to that, I just looked at her companion. I wanted to tell her she'd be fine, but in what kind of position was I to honestly do so? I knew nothing of what had happened or how she was really doing. Still, there was nothing odd about the energy level I sensed inside Carla. It had risen about as much as Wendy's since this morning. Perhaps she just needed more sleep than Wendy.

"How did the first day of the Games go?" She then asked me.

I didn't want to talk about how poorly Fairy Tail had done, but there was no way around it; I couldn't just lie to her about our performance. "To be blunt, it's been horrible." I finally said. "We came in last on the first competition, then we also lost our first battle." I proceeded to tell her what exactly had happened thus far.

"But this is only day one. We still have plenty of chances?" Wendy asked hopefully after listening to my report.

"Natsu seems to believe we're still going to take first place." I replied.

"That's just so like him, isn't it?" She said and softly giggled.

"Speaking of which, how were your three months of training with him and the others?" I asked to change subject.

"It was fun!" Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. "We spent days on the beach, having lots of fun. We were even invited over to the Celestial Spirit World for a party!"

"Really? But you still had time to get some training done?" I asked with a smile. It was good to see her laugh again.

"Well… about that… We still got plenty done." She grinned innocently. I had a feeling she wasn't telling me everything, but I didn't really feel like poking her about it. "And I learned two new spells thanks to Ms. Porlyusica!" She then said proudly.

"You did? How about you fight the next match for me once you've recovered your magic energy?" I suggested, half–jokingly.

"Really!? You'd let me?" Her eyes widened in excitement at the thought of it.

"Sure." I patted her on the head. I hadn't really expected her to take that as seriously as she did, but this was the least I could do for her to make up for my mistakes. I had confidence in her skills as a wizard. Her growth potential was incredible, partially thanks to her Dragon Slayer abilities. I had no doubt that one day she'd surpass me. That actually was a bit of a scary thought…

"Well, I'll be leaving now." I stood up and looked at her one more time before walking to the door. "I'll be visiting again tomorrow."

"Thank you for everything, Roth. Bye!" She said happily as I left.

* * *

Having been able to properly apologise to her, I felt as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was great to see she was doing well and recovering rapidly. A bunch of noise could be heard from the crowds, meaning a match must've come to an end. I made my way through the corridor, back to my teammates, hoping I would still be In time to spectate Fairy Tail's second match.

"Man! What a disappointment!" Natsu howled.

"Yo. What is?" I appeared behind him and laid my hand on his shoulder. "Mind filling me in on what has happened?"

"You just missed Team B's match " Erza said and sighed. "… But it might be for the best. Mystogan lost in an embarrassing manner..."

"You seem awfully cheerful all of a sudden. Wendy's doing well I assume?" Gray then said to me.

I nodded and told them she was well on her way recovering her magic energy.

"There's at least something to celebrate today, then." Erza said with a smile of relief.

The rest of the day was spent at a pub with all the other guild members. Despite our team's poor performance today, most of us seemed in high spirits, or maybe that was just the alcohol doing its work. Even Lucy and Gray joined in on the fun. It was surprising to see how quickly they'd gotten over their terrible losses in today's matches.

In any case, tomorrow was going to be another day, and it would hopefully be our chance at making a comeback in the Grand Magic Games.


	68. Chapter 66 - A Taste Of Ultimate Power

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 66  
A TASTE OF ULTIMATE POWER**

"… up! Get up, everyone!" Erza's loud voice echoed through our room, followed by the harsh sound of her clapping her hands. "If you don't hurry, we're going to be late!"

I sat up in bed and rubbed my sleepy eyes in confusion. Was it time to get out of bed already? I went especially early to bed last night, but I guessed my lack of sleep the day before must have been draining. The others seemed to be sleepy as well; they probably stayed up way too late partying.

"One more hour…" Natsu mumbled sleepily, but Erza, showing zero mercy, forcefully kicked his bed and sent it flipping into the air, causing Natsu to tumble onto the floor.

"Get out now! And make sure to get some breakfast before coming to the arena. We can't go fighting on empty stomaches." With that, Erza shut the door to our room and left.

"I guess we'd better get up, then." Gray groaned after yawning loudly.

* * *

After washing myself and getting dressed, I went downstairs to get breakfast and then headed to the arena with the rest of our team. I had hoped to be able to visit Wendy before the Games would start today, but our team arrived only just in time for the first competition.

"Leave it all up to me! I got this in the bag!" Natsu yelled with a confident grin.

"You're sure about that, Natsu? Wasn't the event for today something to do with chariots?" Lucy asked him with a sliver of concern in her voice.

"Looks like it is…" Erza said who just returned from scouting ahead. "They're already done preparing for the event. I suggest we pick –" Erza wasn't able to finish her sentence because Natsu already dashed off, unwilling to listen to any more of our talking.

"Let's just hope for the best." I sighed, having a bad feeling about this. The others agreed and we proceeded to our stand to spectate the upcoming event. Supposedly, the event was some kind of race on top of a chain of chariots riding through the streets of the city, with the finish line in the centre of the arena. With the help of large lacrima-powered screens, we would have a clear view over every stage of the race.

Not against my expectations, Natsu was already in last place, only moments after the race had started. His face already all purple coloured and his legs trembling like crazy. But for some reason, our guild's other team had decided to let Gajeel participate in this event, and naturally, he was having just as bad of a time as Natsu, only several steps ahead. More surprisingly was to see a third person struggling just as much as our Dragon Slayers. Apparently, Sting from Sabertooth was suffering from motion sickness as well. Didn't Natsu say he was one of the Dragon Slayers he'd met in town before the Games began? That would make sense, then.

It was kind of amusing to see three of the competitors having this much trouble overcoming a simple task like this, even though it meant our guild was likely to come in last place again. The crowd thought so, too, as there went a fair bit of laughing through the stadium as they watched the three in the back of the race moving at a snail's pace.

The other competitors rushed their way over the large number of chariots without any problems, however, there was some fighting going on between them, using their magic to hinder the progress of their opponents. Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus smashed a chariot with a single stomp of his feet, sending the other competitors flying and took the opportunity to rush to the finish and steal first place in this competition. I wasn't particularly interested in watching the bunch of non-Fairy Tail members duke it out against each other, but it could be useful to observe their different kinds of magic and abilities in case we'd be matched up against them in a battle later on.

The race dragged on for like another whole hour, with the three Dragon Slayers in the back making incredibly slow progress. Sting had already given up on even trying in this one, and let Natsu and Gajeel go ahead. Crawling over the chain of chariots, one by one, Natsu finally made it to the finish line, scoring two points for our team, closely followed by Gajeel, scoring one point for Team B. The crowd seemed to have softened up to Fairy Tail, as our two Dragon Slayers were met with loud clapping and cheers. Seeing just how much both of them went through for their teams' first points, it was good to see the people had changed their minds at least a little bit about our guild.

Although we had finally scored our first points in the Games, we would still have a long way to go if we were to make a serious comeback, as both our guild's teams remained at the bottom of the ranks. But next up were the battles, so this could be our chance to grab some more points to start closing the gap.

"Any idea yet who's going to battle in today's matches?" I asked Erza, as she seemed to be the one to keep up with all the Games' updates.

"Our team has one battle after the first one, but we don't get notified as for who of us has to fight until the very last moment." She replied.

"The upcoming match is Raven Tail against Lamia Scale. This should be interesting." Gray said while resting his arms on the stone railing.

* * *

"Hey, guys! Did I miss anything!?" Lucy came running at us. She'd been checking up on Natsu for a bit right after he was transported to the infirmary to get some rest after suffering from serious motion sickness for an hour straight.

"Looks like that dog guy from Lyon's guild is gonna fight." Gray told her.

"He's up against Raven Tail, huh? We know they won't play fair." She said with a frown when she saw the two combatants in the arena.

The second the match was signalled to commence, Toby from Lamia Scale increased the length of his nails multiple times, coated them with poison using his magic, and rushed at his opponent. Raven Tail's Black Snake had no trouble the flurry of attacks, and nimbly jumped out of the way of the poisoned claws with confidence. I think it was obvious who was going to win this. Toby was too focused on just getting a hit in to let his poison do the work, all his attacks were way too straight-forward and would be easily dodged by any experienced fighter.

Knowing he had the upper hand in this battle, Black Snake went on ahead and toyed a little with his opponent. Toby really didn't stand a chance against him, though he had not come to that realisation yet. His attack pattern hadn't changed a bit since the start of the fight, and Black Snake must have gotten bored of it, as he proceeded to knock out Toby with a single strike.

"May I have your attention?" An organiser from the Grand Magic Games approached our team's stand. "Roth is the competitor in the next battle segment. Please follow me."

I silently nodded in response.

"Do your best, Roth. Remember, today is the day of our comeback!" Erza smiled at me.

"You can do it." Gray said, showing his confidence in me.

"Mhm." I wish I could have sounded a bit more confident about it myself, but being chosen this suddenly had struck me with nervousness. I thought I would've been ready for this, but it's easy to think that way when you're just watching. Would I be strong enough? Was the training I underwent enough? Who would my opponent be? All these questions went through my head as I followed the organiser through the corridor leading to the field in the arena.

* * *

It looked like my opponent was already present on the field and was just getting introduced by the commentator. "It's Quatro Cerberus's god of wine, Bacchus!"

"Versus a member from Fairy Tail Team A! It's one of the guild's newcomers, Roth, the mysterious lightning wizard without a past!" At that point, the organiser nudged me in the back, giving me the signal to enter the field and face my opponent. I hastily ran my fingers through my hair in the hopes it would not look like a total mess – I'd totally forgotten to take care of it this morning before leaving the inn – and then entered the arena. This was completely different than the first day… With Natsu and Erza at my side, they'd attract most of the viewers' attention, but now it was just me. What was worse was that everyone from the guild was watching me… and expecting me to win this fight for them. But the worst was the gaze from the first master, Mavis. I could see her tiny figure from the corner of my eye. There was something about that gaze of hers… as though she could see right through me, like she aware of all of my thoughts and intentions. It was different than that time on Tenrou Island; I wondered if she knew about the voice in my head.

"Hey. You finished daydreaming?" Bacchus spoke to me with a nonchalant, but confident smile on his face. The sound of his voice woke me up from my thoughts that had almost made me forget that I'd come here to actually fight. "How's about we make a bet, like the last guys did?" He continued, sounding slightly tipsy.

"Not interested." I responded curtly and prepared myself for battle by Prequipping myself with my Lightning Battler gear.

"Eugh. How boring…" He said, displeased with my answer, and placed his bottle of wine on the ground. "Hmm… Very well. Let's make this a quick one." Bacchus took on a battle stance.

I was unsure of the strength and abilities of my opponent. I'd seen him crush a chariot in the race without breaking a sweat, prior to the battle segments, so at least, physically he must be pretty strong. The problem was that he hadn't showed any of his magic during the race.

With so little information to work with, I'd best test his basic skills first. Bacchus already made a charge at me and went straight on the offensive with a burst of close combat attacks. Trying to block them as well as I could, but his movements were unpredictable; it was clear he was extremely skilled in close quarters. A good number of attacks of his landed on me, and they hurt quite a bit. A quick Photon Shield spell cast helped me to force him to back off for a moment.

As expected from somebody with his level of strength, he isn't just hitting me at random… He's actually aiming for vulnerable spots. The problem was that they also came at such speed, I barely could get time to even react to them. In addition to that, his attack patterns were way too difficult to predict, giving him a superior advantage as long as he would keep himself close to me.

Before I could come up with a plan to counterattack, Bacchus came at me again. I tried my best to defend myself from his attacks as they came, but the longer it went on, the more hits I was starting to take. This guy's on a totally different level than Gajeel. Sure, Gajeel might be stronger, but his attacks are much more simple and straight-forward. This guy, though… I just couldn't find any sort of pattern or rhythm in his style that could help me defend against it in some way. After taking a good number of hits, I finally managed to create some distance again by Lightning Stepping backward. Things weren't looking too great for me. I had barely gotten a single hit in, instead I'd only been getting beaten so far. Is it because it's been such a long time since I've fought anything? It's been more than three months since my last battle… Even so, I've been training all that time, I should be stronger than this, right?

* * *

"Oh, my! This is a one-sided match!" The commentator was stating the obvious. "Roth is completely powerless against Bacchus!"

" _Is this all you got? You disappoint me, Verik._ "

Ugh. That voice in my head was the last thing I needed to hear at a time like this, especially if it was going to be like that. I decided to ignore it and keep my focus on the match itself. Since I had distance advantage now, I shouldn't let it go to waste. Gathering my magic energy, I held my sword with stretched arms pointed at Bacchus and closed my eyes to focus on the source of his magic.

"Focused Strike!"

The beam of lightning blasted from my sword, but I could sense Bacchus moving out of the way in time. I quickly opened my eyes again, only to see Bacchus right next to me and then striking me with a powerful palm technique. With my arms flailing as I flew threw the air from his attack, the beam from my sword changed direction and sheared through a part of the stadium before I cut off the flow of magic to it, hoping it hadn't caused any casualties in the crowd. I recovered and made a flip in mid-air to land on my feet, and without giving Bacchus a chance to launch another assault, I gathered magic energy for a follow-up attack.

"Echoing Thunder!"

At the speed of lightning, I sped past him, slashing him with my sword and applying a brief stun. As I finished my first step, I felt something was off, but I couldn't afford the time to figure out what exactly it was. As fast as I could, I repeated my Lightning Step, this time back to my original position, stunning Bacchus again. Again and again, I struck him with my stun as I flashed back and forth. With a big amount of magic energy collected, I prepared for my final strike that should hopefully be strong to deal some serious damage.

I Lightning Stepped one more time. In that instant I received a blow to my head with such force, it felt as though I'd crashed my face into a granite wall. No way... He shouldn't be able to move yet. How was he able to interrupt me during my combo? Several more powerful blows quickly followed, knocking the air out of my lungs. I fell down on my stomach, feeling as if my body was broken. I couldn't be this weak?

In the distance, I vaguely heard the cheers from my comrades. They still believed in me. That meant I couldn't give up yet. With much effort I got myself up on my knees. As I tried to stand up again, I ran through all the options of possibly turning this match around in my head, but I came out empty. I still had magic energy left, but with the skills this guy possessed, I couldn't find a chance to effectively use it against him.

"Huh? You can still stand after that?" Bacchus said with that same nonchalant smile he had shown before our match begun. "I got to say, though, I'd hoped for something a little more… wild!" He picked up the bottle he left on the ground earlier and drank from it. "Ehehe. Might as well finish this with a bang, don't you agree?" He changed his stance to something different than before, looking like he could strike at any moment. "I promise, it'll be over in a flash."

" _I'll show you how it's done._ " The voice whispered.

Bacchus dashed at me with incredible speed. At the time his attacks were about to land, my vision blurred and I felt myself being jumped from place to place, out of the way of each and every hit. Seven in total. By the time it was over, less than a second had passed; I had no idea what just happened. Was this the work of the voice inside of me?

And neither did Bacchus. "What the…!? How'd you do that!?" He uttered in confusion after finishing his combo technique.

" _Have a taste of ultimate power._ "

Before I knew what was going on, I felt my body being shot into the air through the use of a series of Lightning Steps aimed upward in rapid succession. This voice, or whatever it was, it was fully controlling me at this point. I came to a standstill, hundreds of metres up in the air. My sword was vertically floating in the air, with the blade pointing downward. One of my feet was positioned on the crossguard, and the other on the top end of the pommel, while I kept my fingers wrapped around the hilt. Looking down from this position, the stadium looked so small; my opponent was nothing but a tiny dot from here. I felt myself getting dizzy from gazing at the ground from this height, but there was nothing else I could do in my current position… my body was completely moving on its own. Above me, dark clouds had gathered, rumbling with the sound of thunder. At this point, I felt the flow of magic inside me starting to moving. But not in the way I was used it to move. Everything I had was flowing at once, streaming out of my body and disappearing into the increasingly darkening clouds above and the air around me.

" _Forbidden Storm Technique! Heaven's Judgement: Skyfire!_ "

Multiple layers of spell circles appeared below me, decreasing in size as they went lower. My sword, with me on it, then was sent flying down at ridiculous speed. All of the strength I had in me was used on keeping my hands tightly on the handle of the sword as to not lose my grip on it. With each spell circle the sword pierced through as it shot downward, lightning from the clouds above struck the blade, powering it with incredible amounts of magic.

Within seconds from my starting position in the sky, the blade crashed into the centre of the arena. There was an explosion of light and electricity, completely blinding me. When the light faded, the air was filled with a thick cloud of dust and sand falling down. Once all that settled, I finally could see the result of this spell I just used. I stood inside a large crater, having taken a large chunk out of the floor of the arena. Inside it, Bacchus lied on the ground with a blank look on his face… Did he get knocked out?

With barely a drop of magic energy left in me, I collapsed onto my knees, holding on to my sword that was stuck with the blade in the ground to keep myself up.

* * *

"Is it over!? It looks like Roth is the winner of this match! What an exciting outcome, so cool!" The commentator yelled from the top of his lungs after reviewing the state of the two combatants after the effects of my spell had vanished. A thunderous applause came from the crowd, but it all faded into the background, as I fell to the ground, feeling completely drained of my magic energy. I had not even the power left in me to keep up my Prequip ability any longer.

"Are you… trying to kill me?" I whispered to the voice while lying face down in the sand of the arena.

" _Kill you? No, Verik. I need you to stay alive._ " The voice answered clearly. " _Had I not intervened, you could have died._ "

It might be right about that one. Bacchus's final combo attack was insanely powerful. It was only thanks to the voice inside me that had decided to take control over my body that I had been able to dodge its fatal blows. But this could be dangerous… If it was that easy for it to make me do whatever it wanted...

Before I was able to finish that frightening thought, I blacked out.


	69. Chapter 67 - Small In Size Huge In Spiri

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 67  
SMALL IN SIZE HUGE IN SPIRIT**

Once I woke up, I found myself lying in a bed in our guild's infirmary room in the stadium. The same room Wendy had been resting in, but the bed she'd been using was empty now. In the other side of the room was Porlyusica, standing with her back turned to me.

"You kids need to learn to be more careful." She sighed, but still wasn't facing me. "I don't know how you did it, but losing that much of your magic at once isn't healthy. It's not something that can be done with the use of any regular kind of spell."

"I'm sorry, but do you know what time it is?" I ignored her brief lecture, knowing that I had nothing to bring in against it, nor could I just explain to her that it hadn't really been me who had caused myself to end up like this.

"Almost eight in the morning. How are you feeling?" She finally turned around, coming up close to me and examined me.

"Fine. Just… very tired. That's all." I actually didn't feel that great. My body was still aching from the onslaught of Bacchus's attacks I'd suffered through the duration of my match yesterday.

"You still need more rest. Got that?" She spoke harshly.

I nodded in agreement. She walked back to her table in the corner, continuing her work on potions and herbs. "By the way, there's some breakfast on the table beside your bed." She pointed out to me, figuring I hadn't noticed the food next to me yet, which I hadn't.

"Thanks."

It was quite a lot. At least more than I was used to eating for breakfast. But I guessed I shouldn't complain; my stomach felt empty for having skipped over a meal yesterday.

* * *

"Man! You were awesome!" Natsu shouted as he kicked open the door to the room and barged right in without warning. The rest of our tournament team came in after him.

"Yes, you did great, Roth!" Lucy complimented me.

"With the points from you winning that match, we got a lot closer to catching up to the rest." Gray stated optimistically.

"I didn't know you were capable of using magic like that, Roth." Erza said, showing a smile. Though, something about the way she said it made me think she was suspicious of me. Was it possible she knew I wasn't supposed to be able to use a spell like that?

"Yeah, you totally gotta teach me!" Natsu said cheerfully, but seemed actually serious about it.

"You don't even know Lightning magic, stupid!" Gray dryly said and knocked him on the head.

"But I do!" Natsu exclaimed, referring to his Lightning Flame Dragon mode.

"You don't have a sword, so forget about it." Gray used that as an excuse to knock him on the head once more.

"Anyway, will you be able to participate in today's events, Roth?" Erza inquired.

"I was told I still needed more rest. But don't worry, I have a back-up if I'm needed again." I hadn't told anybody else about my conversation with Wendy yet, so they probably thought I was talking about Elfman as my replacement. It would be more fun to keep it a surprise for now.

"Well, we gotta go now. Looks like the event is about to start." Gray said after checking the clock. It was exactly eight o'clock, meaning today's first event was about to kick off. I thanked everyone for visiting and watched them leave again. A big silence filled the room after their exit. I wished I could watch and cheer for my teammates, but that wasn't going to happen. Closing my eyes, I decided to rest for the time being. It's not like there was much else to do for me while I remained here.

* * *

A knocking sound on the door woke me up from my sleep. Again, I had no idea what time it was, but I felt like I'd been asleep for hours. The door opened slightly, and Wendy showed her head from behind it. "You're awake?"

"As you can see, I am. Has today's event already ended?" I asked.

"No…" She came inside and carefully closed the door behind her. "The next battle is planned to have you fight again. I just… came here to let you know." She said a little shyly.

"And? Do I look like in a state to fight?" I replied, maybe a little too brusquely. "Did you forget what we agreed on?"

She shook her head. "Are you sure… you want to let me fight? Instead of someone else?"

"I am. But if you don't want to fight, I'll ask somebody else to go." I didn't really understand why she was making such a fuss out of this, but if she was having doubts about it, this wasn't the time for it.

"No. I want to show Fairy Tail how strong I've become." She answered boldly.

"I'm sure you'll do great." I smiled at her.

"That means… you won't be able to come to watch?" She said a little saddened, looking down at the floor.

I glanced over at Porlyusica, knowing I would need her permission first to leave this room. "You should have recovered enough to go and watch your friend. You're free to go, but come back here when it's over." She answered without even turning around to face the two of us.

"I'll be watching, then. You'd better go and prepare for your match, Wendy." I told her. I wanted to wait for her to leave the room, because I knew I was going to be in a pitiful state by leaving the bed. Knowing her, she'd only get needlessly worried about me.

She nodded and smiled brightly, then left the room.

Getting out of bed was every bit as painful as I expected it to be. All of my limbs hurt like hell. Even just standing up proved to be difficult. Once I slowly adjusted to the pain in my body, I could start on dragging myself out of the room, through the corridor leading to the balcony where my teammates would be at.

"Oh? You're already healed?" Gray said a little surprised when he saw me joining him and the others at our guild team's balcony.

"Not exactly. But I'll be watching the next match. So, how did the previous competitions go? Have I missed out on anything good?"

"Well, Erza and Cana both earned top places in today's main event." Lucy stated proudly.

"And a whole lot went on between Laxus and Raven Tail. But it's a long story. Let's focus on the upcoming match for now." Erza said.

"Right. It looks like it's about to begin." Gray said and focused his attention back on the arena, where the first competitor just entered the field: Lamia Scale's Chelia Blendy. I didn't know anything about her, but she didn't look like she should be too tough for Wendy to handle. Wendy now also entered the field, making her way too the centre to face her opponent.

"You let her fight in your stead?" Erza asked in surprise.

I didn't want to bother to explain myself. It shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise. After all, she's a member of my team. My confidence in her skills has grown significantly over the time we've been together. I've seen her grow from being too scared to go into battle on her own, to giving everything she has to protect what's dear to her. Even back on Tenrou Island, I couldn't believe how much she'd grown. With three more months of harsh training, who knew how much stronger she'd become?

* * *

The match had begun, and Wendy opened without hesitating using her enchantment spells, directly followed by a mighty Sky Dragon Wing Attack. Unfortunately, however, her opponent successfully dodged the blades of wind coming at her and countered with a spell of her own. Wendy almost got caught in the blast of the black wind from Chelia's attack, but neutralised it using her magic before it could do any serious damage. The magic that girl looked like it should be wind magic, like Wendy's, but it was all black instead. I hadn't anything like it ever seen before.

Not to mention, she was a good fighter. Only this short into the match, and I could already see Wendy having trouble keeping up defending against her opponent's attacks, despite both of them wielding the same type of elemental magic. Her opponent's black air magic just seemed to rip through her own spells like it was nothing.

Wendy blasted a powerful Sky Dragon Roar at Chelia, who immediately counterattacked, using a similar technique.

"Wait? Is she using God Slaying magic?" Natsu said in shock upon realising something.

"God Slaying?" Erza asked.

"That Grimoire guy I fought against… He used similar kind of magic." Natsu explained.

What did that even mean? Was God Slaying magic supposed to be even stronger than Dragon Slayer magic? If that was the case, this could end up pretty badly for Wendy. The difference between her and her opponent was getting noticeably bigger with each attack. Chelia was still in perfect shape, while Wendy was already out of breath and wounded. But I wouldn't lose faith in her abilities that easily. I still sensed a strong magic of aura coming from her. As long as she believed in herself and had the spirit to continue fighting, she could still turn this around.

Wendy, using her Dragon Slayer ability, began to eat air to regain some of her magic power. However, it seemed her opponent was capable of doing so, too. I sensed one major difference between the two; Wendy was powering up greatly as she finished eating – She was about to do something big.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" A spell circle appeared beneath her feet and her power rose even further. I'd never seen her do anything like this before; this had got to be one of her new spells she told me about. A barrier of winds appeared around the two combatants. It reminded me of the wall of gusts during my Tempest Break technique, but stronger and much more refined.

"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy waved her arms in a circular motion, and then launched an enormous hurricane of wind and light at Sherria, who had no option but to take the hit, as she was trapped within the barrier.

Once the dust cleared, Shelia seemed to have collapsed by the impact of the attack. Had Wendy's new spell been enough to take her out of the fight, or could she still stand up after that? Either way, that was an incredible spell she just used there.

* * *

The way things looked, it seemed Wendy had won this match. After some seconds passed, the referee came up to check on Chelia. "It looks like Chelia is down! The winner is Fairy Tail's…" He was about to declare Wendy as the winner, when the young God Slayer suddenly moved and interrupted him.

"Sorry! Please wait! I'm still just getting started!"

She got back up on her feet and enveloped herself in a gentle, white light, causing the bruises and scratches covering her to fade away. The referee apologised in embarrassment and quickly retreated to let the match continue. How was this possible? Wasn't healing magic only supposed to work on others, not on oneself? This was really bad for Wendy, though. She had used pretty much all she had on that new spell of hers, and with Chelia being able to heal her own injuries, her chances of winning had severely diminished.

Wendy looked like she was in pain, but she had not given up on fighting yet. While she was out of magic energy to use, it looked like she still had plenty of spirit left in her. Her opponent began to charge a strong spell, creating two whirling vortexes of dark air magic around her arms. The energy emanating from her was starting to reach dangerous levels. Was she trying to kill Wendy?

"Gathering Clouds of Heaven!" Putting her hands together, she fired a mass of destructive magic at high speed at Wendy. Wendy prepared to block the attack, but without even moving an inch, she managed to completely dodge the attack. Had Chelia's aim been off? No… That would be absurd.

Before I could comprehend what just happened, Wendy went back onto the offensive. That short period of time must have let her recovered some of her energy. And she wasn't about to give her enemy any time to gather new energy; she must have figured out… the best way of dealing with her opponent was to keep her in a constant defensive state. Even if her attacks weren't that strong, it would prevent Chelia from being able to charge any more of her powerful spells.

Despite being so close to hitting complete exhaustion, Wendy kept on fiercely attacking her opponent. When the end of the match was announced, both combatants were still standing; both of them were completely out of breath.

"Time's… up! The fight ends in a draw!" The commentator said. "Both teams score five points!"

"That's awesome!" Natsu yelled cheerfully.

"Way to go, Wendy!" Lucy said, tearing up a little at seeing Wendy fight so hard.

It was a good fight, indeed. Even though Wendy had been at a disadvantage, she fought without ever thinking of giving up. To think she'd grown this much in such a short time… She was amazing. I was very proud of her.

* * *

Chelia healed Wendy's injuries, and the two of them shook hands before exiting the field. With the match over and the third day of the tournament coming to an end, I went back to the infirmary. To my surprise, Porlyusica wasn't in here. Regardless, it would still be best for me if I would spend the rest of my time here, resting.

Just as I got myself back in my bed, Porlyusica returned. I wondered if she'd also come to spectate Wendy's match, but I kept quiet about it. She walked to her table with the potion stand, where she picked up a small glass bottle containing a liquid and then gave it to me.

"Here. Drink this. It should speed up your recovery process." She said while I examined the inside of the bottle. I thanked her for it and drank whatever was inside. It tasted funny, unlike anything I'd had before, but as long as it would help me recover faster, I didn't really care.

While I lied in bed, I wished I could be with the others and hear about the other events that had happened during my absence. Having seen Wendy's awesome battle, and from what I'd gathered with my short conversation with my teammates, Fairy Tail was doing quite well. We might still be able to have a shot at making it to first place… Without much else to do, I spent the rest of the day sleeping.


	70. Chapter 68 - The Strongest Team

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 68  
THE STRONGEST TEAM**

It was still early in the morning, but the stadium was already beginning to fill up with people wanting to claim the best seats for the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games. I'd woken up early today, feeling totally refreshed and healthy again. Whatever that potion I took yesterday was made of, it sure had done its work well. Having been chosen to compete in two battles already, I doubted there would be another one for me again, but if there was, I'd be more than ready for it.

"Oh, hey! You're already here." Gray greeted me upon entering our guild team's balcony in the stadium.

"We checked the infirmary just earlier, but Porlyusica said you were fully restored again. That's great news, Roth." Lucy said with a smile.

"Yo, good morning, guys." I greeted them, smiling back.

"I hope you got a good night's sleep. Today's going to be action-packed." Erza stated.

"Mhm, I did. So, can you fill me in on the stuff that took place during my absence?" I asked eagerly.

"Laxus single-handedly destroyed Raven Tail!" Natsu said with grin. "And uhm… Mira won her battle against who-was-it?"

"Raven Tail? What happened?" I asked, curious to hear what had happened to them.

"Long story short, they got caught for cheating during their fight with Laxus and have had their guild disqualified." Erza elaborated.

"Really? Well, I can't say I'm really surprised to hear that. But I'm glad they're gone. I couldn't stand those guys." I said, upon which the others nodded in agreement with me. "So, what's on the menu for today?" I then asked.

"Not entirely sure, but we should have the main event getting announced any second now." Gray stated.

"Day four of the Grand Magic Games! Today's segment is about to begin!" The commentator announced excitedly. "The event is called Naval Battle! Please choose your competitors!" So, it was a water themed competition this time. I was sure our guild's other team would select Juvia to enter this one. As for us, it was hard to say which one of us would be best to go with.

"What do you say, Lucy. You're up for it?" Erza suggested her to do this. "Using your Aquarius key should give you a huge edge over the others."

"Sure. You can count on me." Lucy said with determination and went on ahead to prepare for the event.

* * *

A short time later, it seemed everyone was ready to go, and the commentator explained the event. "It's a skirmish in the sea, in other words! The battlefield is a large ball of water! Get knocked out of it and you lose! The last one swimming is the winner!" He proceeded to explain the basic rules of the event. All of the competitors entered the large, floating sphere of water in the centre of the arena one by one by diving into it. It looked like all of the guilds had decided on sending out a female challenger for this specific event., with the exception of Quatro Cerberus as their team consisted solely of males. As expected, Fairy Tail Team B had chosen Juvia to compete. I wondered who would have the upperhand in this battle, Lucy's Aquarius spirit, or Juvia with her supreme skill in controlling the water.

The moment the event started, Lucy initiated using her Aquarius key. This one should be in the bag, I thought, as I smiled and watched in antipication at how her spirit was going to wipe the… water with the rest of the competition. Without wasting time, Aquarius created a strong underwater torrent, sucking in a few of the challengers, but Juvia countered with her own magic. Right now, it seemed the two were about evenly matched, neither of them willing to give the other an inch. It was pretty amazing to see Juvia was able to stand her own against the spirit of water herself. She truly was a master of the water element.

Meanwhile, the other competitors realised they couldn't do much about the two water ladies fighting it out with each other, and focused on their other opponents. With a well-aimed kick, Jenny knocked Rocker out of the sphere, putting Quatry Cerberus down at the bottom for today's event. Or well, they would've been if it hadn't been for the additional rule that stated that the second to last challenger would be ranked in last place, should they be knocked out of the sphere in less than five minutes. This game could still go anywhere.

The crowd was only cheering for Quatro Cerberus' removal from this competition, as it was only girls left in the water now. Even the commentator seemed to be quite grateful for the removal of Rocker, making me feel a little sorry for the poor guy.

Suddenly, Aquarius left the battle, leaving Lucy wide open to Juvia's Water magic. In a moment of desperation, she quickly summoned both Aries and Virgo to assist her. Though Juvia didn't seem very impressed and continued blasting whirlpools in her direction, and then charged up a great deal of magic energy, announcing her strongest new technique. "Darling Gray Love!" She shouted and a volley of pink, heart-shaped projectiles inside a vortex of water shot out from her hands. As silly as the attack was named, it was super effective, and removed three challengers from the competition simultaneously.

We all looked at Gray to see what his reaction would be at seeing Juvia use a spell named after him, but he'd turned awfully pale and his face had turned completely blank. I couldn't really blame him for it…

* * *

However, Juvia got suddenly knocked out of the sphere of water while she had distracted herself with observing Gray after finishing her spell. Only Lucy and Minerva from Sabertooth now remained. Though, Lucy's spirits had all disappeared at this point. Would she be at a disadvantage after having used up all of her strongest spirits already? After all, Sabertooth had some of the strongest wizards competing in this tournament.

Minerva summoned spheres of light that rapidly exploded and seriously hurting Lucy on impact. Just when Lucy was trying to reach for her pouch with keys, she noticed it was no longer with her. Minerva then showed her she was now in possession of the keys and then continued to strike the helpless Lucy with more of her magic. At one point, Lucy almost fell out of the sphere, but recovered just in time to stay inside. Even though she was without any way to make use of her magic, she was trying to stall the timer to prevent risking coming in last place. That was the best she could do right now. But in order to achieve that, she'd have to endure all of Minerva's attacks for another few minutes. But Minerva didn't seem to care about that and stopped her assault, just calmly watching Lucy as the timer ran out.

"… Five minutes have passed! Now it's just a fight for the top spot!"

Minerva immediately activated her magic again, hitting Lucy with a fully powered blast. She proceeded to strike Lucy again and again, until she almost fell out of the sphere, but then teleported her back into the centre again. Now she was just kicking and punching Lucy without the use of any magic, but with Lucy having taken so much damage already, she couldn't bring up the energy to defend herself against any of it. This was painful to even just watch.

"Stop it!" Natsu shouted in anger. He couldn't take anymore of this senseless violence. But all Sabertooth did was laugh back at us in amusement. Natsu wasn't the only one raging with anger. All the rest of us were, too. I would've loved to smash those Sabertooth faces in as revenge for what they were doing to Lucy right now.

Without any sign of Minerva wanting to let go of Lucy, the referee stepped in and called off the event. "The event is over! The winner is Minerva!" What a disgusting way to win the event. If my next match was going to be against one of those from Sabertooth, I'd be sure to make them pay.

* * *

Natsu and Gray both leaped over the stone railing of the balcony, onto the field to catch Lucy as Minerva dropped her lifeless body from the water sphere. I followed after them, as did several of our other guild members.

"Take the Celestial wizard to the infirmary at once!" A knight barked orders at some of the soldiers standing by.

"Hold on! I need to give her emergency treatment first!" Wendy said as she ran up to Lucy.

"She's hurt pretty bad, but if we work together…" Chelia said and joined Wendy in healing Lucy's injuries.

"You can glare at me all you want, if it makes you feel better." Minerva said after she'd come down and watched us as we were gathered around our comrade. Natsu and Erza looked back at her in anger. "But remember I acted in full compliance with the rules of the competition." She said, ignoring the looks she was getting from us.

"That may be true. But you went way outside the boundaries of basic human decency." Erza argued back. She appeared calm on the outside, but I could sense she was on edge.

"Ahaha. I was simply trying to entertain the crowd, that's all." Minerva continued to try to provoke us. "To be quite honest, you should be thanking me. She got second place, didn't she? She could've never done that without my help."

"What!?" Natsu growled and stepped forward. The rest of Sabertooth's team appeared in front of Minerva, ready to fight us if we were to attack Minerva here. The atmosphere between us and Sabertooth was getting tenser with the second, I could feel it. And honestly, I wouldn't mind if it would come to a fight here. We would make them pay for what they did to Lucy.

The crowd was getting excited, seeing two guilds sitting on the edge of fighting it out in a free-for-all in the arena, and started chanting. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" While neither of us were moving an inch, I would love to give in to the crowd's demand for a fight… but, doing so would likely result in getting our guild disqualified from the Games. That alone wouldn't make it worth it.

Finally, Erza took a step forward and spoke. "Although you may be considered the strongest guild in Fiore, you'd be wise to heed this warning." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Listen carefully. Making an enemy of Fairy Tail is a decision you will regret." She glared at them with eyes burning with anger.

Realising they weren't going to get anywhere with this, the members of Sabertooth simply smirked back at us, then turned around and left the field again. Wendy and Chelia were just about done with healing Lucy after Sabertooth had left, but she seemed to be still unconscious. Her injuries must be pretty severe if even their healing magic combined couldn't completely patch her up… She was taken into the infirmary, where we checked up on her again before the next event would begin.

* * *

"Is Lucy all right?" Juvia asked worriedly as she, and the others on Team B, entered the room.

"You guys…!" Gray said in surprise.

"We may be on different teams, but we're in the same guild." Cana said.

"Laxus…" Natsu said in surprise when he saw him with them.

This was actually my first time being together with Gajeel again. It felt a bit strange, having not talked to him for over three months. Though, this was not the time for chatting; we were here for Lucy. And speaking of which…

"Ah! She's awake!" Happy exclaimed when he saw Lucy moving a little. We all turned our attention back to her.

"Guys… I'm sorry…" She spoke weakly.

"Huh? What are you apologising for?" Natsu asked.

"I messed up again…" Lucy pulled the bedsheet over her head.

"Don't be crazy! We came in second place thanks to you!" Gray said to convince her she really had done her best.

"Yes. You did well!" Erza added.

"But… I lost my keys…" Lucy said and showed her face again.

"I got them right here." Happy walked over to her and handed her the pouch containing her celestial keys.

"What a relief… Thanks…" She happily took the pouch and held them close to her with a thankful smile. Not a moment later, she was asleep again.

"I can't stand those Sabertooth guys at all." Cana denounced.

"I feel the exact same way." Gray said, and all the rest of us, including myself, agreed as well. Sabertooth has been performing extremely well in the tournament so far. If we wanted to take the first place away from them, we'd have to seriously step up our game.

* * *

"Unfortunate circumstances, but I'm glad both teams are here." The guild master spoke upon entering the room. "I have something to tell you." We all stayed quiet to hear what he would have to say. "I was just contacted by the Games' organisers, though I'm not sure if it'll be a help or hindrance to us, we have been asked to consolidate our two teams into one."

"Say what!?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Why are they doing that?" Mirajane inquired.

"Since Raven Tail has been disqualified, there are now seven teams remaining. Having an odd number makes it difficult to match up competitors for the battles. Therefore we've been ordered to do away with the A and B groups, and form a single five-person team for the rest of the tournament." Makarov explained.

"What about our scores?" Carla asked the important question.

"We're only allowed to keep the lower one. And that would be the thirty five points from Team A." He answered.

"What? That's hardly a fair deal for us." I said in protest. "We are doing them a favour and yet we lose the points we earned earlier on?" I didn't like this at all. It's not our fault we qualified two teams for the tournament; the least they could do is give our new team the higher score.

"But we have no choice. This was the management's decision." Erza said.

"On the plus side, this is also a chance to make an even stronger team." Cana said, smiling.

"Very well… then, who will be on Fairy Tail's new team?" Makarov asked, suggesting he'd leave it to us to decide which of us were going to be the new five members.

"I'm definitely in. I'm gonna get revenge for Lucy!" Natsu said with fierce determination.

"As do I." Erza stated calmly, but not with any less spirit.

"If Salamander's in, then so am I." Gajeel said, using his own twisted kind of logic for situations like these.

"I'll take the fourth spot. I've had hardly had enough action up to this point." Laxus said, and cracked his knuckles.

I hesitated about taking the last spot. Part of me would love to get a shot at fighting those Sabertooth guys, but… what if that voice would interfere again? Things could get dangerous, and not just for me. I couldn't let something like that happen.

"You sure you don't want the fifth spot, Roth?" Gray asked me. He must have seen I was pondering about it, and power-wise, we were probably pretty equal to each other. I quietly shook my head in response to his question, even though I'd have loved to have taken it. "In that case, I'll gladly take it." Gray smirked and claimed the fifth spot.

"Great. Now, those on the new team, take some time to prepare yourselves. The next event is starting soon." Makarov then said, and those that were chosen, nodded.


	71. Chapter 69 - Clash Of The Dragon Slayers

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 69  
CLASH OF THE DRAGON SLAYERS**

"Is something wrong, Roth?" Levy said in a friendly tone when she took a place beside me. I'd been watching from our guild's stand, but had been staying at the side where I could easier concentrate on my thoughts. "You don't look very interested."

"Hm… how do I put it..."

"You wanted to be on Fairy Tail's team?" She guessed.

"Yeah. But…" I responded softly.

"It's that voice, isn't it?" She knew precisely. "I saw it during your fight with Bacchus, taking control over you. It was… scary."

"In what way?" I asked, curious to hear her thoughts on it.

"That spell you used. It was way above what any normal wizard of your level should be able to cast." She explained, confirming my thoughts that she had caught on everything already without needing a word from me.

"Whatever it was, you were a true man for defeating that Bacchus guy with it!" Elfman said with a big grin and slammed me on my back with tremendous force, making me violently cough for a good minute. He really had no idea how much stronger he'd become… Also, just how much had he heard of our conversation, I wondered. I didn't want the news of something weird in my head spreading to the rest of the guild members.

"Thanks, but it wasn't easy." I said with modesty and smiled back after having recovered from that rather forceful pat on the back.

"It ain't supposed to be easy." Elfman grinned back. "But man, you've really grown, huh?" He then said to me with wonder.

"Really? Have you looked at yourself yet?" I replied.

"Heh. We should have a fight some time… you and me. A real fight between real men!" He said enthusiastically.

"You'd be going down, though." I said with more confidence than I really had. With how big Elfman had become after his training, it would be pretty scary to have someone like him as an opponent.

"So, who are you two cheering for?" Levy interrupted our little chat, as the second match was about to start. Today's matches were all two-on-two battles.

"It's Lamia Scale versus Mermaid Heel, huh?" I said and observed the two fighters from both teams for a moment to think about it. "I don't really know any of them, so I don't care either way." It was hard to tell which of the two would win, though. The cat girl on Mermaid Heel's team was acting like a clown in front of the crowd as she entered the field, but the other person she was with… she was strong. Frighteningly so. The Lamia Scale wizards were no joke either, though. This could be pretty interesting.

"I'm betting on Lamia Scale. They just seem manlier than those other two." Elfman said after thinking about it. I guessed he also didn't have that big of a reason to cheer for either one if that was the best he could come up with.

"I'm rooting for Mermaid Heel! Because I've known Millianna since the whole Tower of Heaven thing!" Happy suddenly joined in.

"I'm supporting Lamia Scale, I guess. They help us out all the time." Levy said, giving her own opinion. 

* * *

Just before the match began, the dark haired woman on Mermaid Heel's team turned around and left her teammate, Millianna, all alone against their two opponents. What were they doing? They couldn't be cocky enough to think they could win in a one against two match?

"Now let the match begin, 'kin!" The referee announced the start of the match.

The cat girl wasted no second, and immediately began attacking her two opponents. Despite being outnumbered, she was holding her own against them surprisingly well. Perhaps I had underestimated her. Or to be more precise, her teammate's magic power was so great, it completely eclipsed the cat girl's, which had made it difficult to sense how strong she was. Even though her techniques were somewhat silly, they seemed highly effective against the two Lamia Scale wizards, who were being completely dominated by her.

Or at least, they were until they began getting serious. Lamia's ice wizard summoned a huge a tiger made of ice that chased the cat girl around until she ran into the wall surrounding the arena and knocked herself out of action. It was then that her teammate joined the fight.

In a matter of seconds, she knocked out one of Lamia Scale's wizard with a simple hit from her unsheathed sword. It didn't look very impressive, but I knew her opponents weren't exactly weak. To pull off something like this, and making it look this easy, required a tremendous amount of skill and power. She struck the ice wizard with a similar hit from her sword without even drawing it, knocking him down to the ground, though he was still able to get up after it.

He proceeded to summon three enormous creatures using his Ice Make magic, but the woman simply countered with a field-wide gravity spell, pulling him and his summoned beasts upward. Then, with a single strike, she shattered all of his icy creations. Just as she was ready to follow it up with a finishing strike to the ice wizard himself, the bell signalling the end of the match rang. Her weapon was only centimetres away from his face.

"You know what that bell means! I'm afraid your time's up!" The referee said. "The fight's a draw, 'kin!"

Tch, what a joke; she totally had that guy. Then again, it didn't really matter, I guessed... Having both teams receiving only half of the points would mean it'd be harder for either of them to compete for the first place in the tournament. 

* * *

"The crowd is still going wild over our last match, but the next one is sure to be just as exhilarating!" The commentator spoke as both teams left the field.

"That means it's our turn now!" Mavis exclaimed excitedly. Everyone else of the guild was just as pumped up about this upcoming match. It would be Natsu and Gajeel versus Sting and Rogue. Now, this was a match I wouldn't want to miss. To see Natsu going all out in combat was something to behold. And apparently his opponents were Dragon Slayers as well… This was going to be an explosive match for sure. Furthermore, I would finally be able to see the new Gajeel in action after his three months of training in solitude. How much would he have improved…?

"At last, this is the fight we've all been waiting for! A fateful showdown between the mightiest guild seven years ago and the mightiest guild now!" It was surprsingly quiet in the stadium as the two teams entered the field. Without doubt, this was the one match people had been wanted to see since the beginning of the festival.

"Fairy Tail's Natsu and Gajeel… versus Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue! What's more, all four are Dragon Slayers!" Both teams were showered with cheers from the crowd.

"Go get them, Natsu, Gajeel!" I shouted at the two.

"Hit them as hard as you can! Show them who's the real man!" Elfman shouted beside me.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen! The Dragon Slayers are on the battlefield! Now the only question is: who will be triumphant!? The fairies, or the tigers!?"

"Let the match begin!" The referee ran off the field as quickly as he could after announcing the start of the match.

Sting and Rogue both charged at their opponents as soon as the match began, but Natsu and Gajeel stormed at them with over twice that same speed and force, catching them both off-guard and dishing out the first hits. Even though they did get the chance to fight back, their attacks didn't seem to do much, and quickly got overwhelmed by the power of our two Dragon Slayers again. Natsu struck both of them with a Fire Dragon Wing Attack, sending them flying helplessly into the air.

"Th–This is unbelievable!" The commentator shouted in disbelief when Sting and Rogue got smashed so easily by Fairy Tail in the first few minutes of the match. Though, this was only just the beginning. Both of them powered up with light and shadow magic, sharply raising their power levels.

The second round was a complete turn-around, with Natsu and Gajeel taking quite the beating from the Sabertooth duo. Not only had their power increased drastically, their teamwork was flawless. Meanwhile, Natsu and Gajeel were only getting in each other's way while trying to defend; they really weren't used to fighting together like this. Luckily, they did notice that themselves and took some distance from the other, each taking on one opponent.

Things were looking bad for the two, as Sting and Rogue continued their use special light and shadow magic, until one point where they suddenly managed to turn things around in their favour again. In the middle of this fight, both had figured out a way to fight back against it. I was especially impressed to see Gajeel fight like this. Not moments ago, he was merely a punching bag as he failed to keep up with Rogue's shadow movements, but he'd managed to figure out how to counter him so quickly. He really had trained hard on improving and refining his fighting technique instead of relying on raw power all the time. That wasn't to say his strength was any less than it had been before… His hits were strong enough to deal serious damage to his opponent.

With things having turned into Fairy Tail's favour for the second time, Sting was powering up once again. This time he wasn't messing around; he was about to get serious with this match. Focusing all of his magic energy in one spot, his power level grew intensely and engulfed the stadium in a blinding light, making it impossible to see a thing.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Holy Nova!"

Another flash of light followed, accompanied by a huge explosion. When the dust cleared, the result was quite unexpected. Natsu still stood there, holding Sting's fist with just one hand, without as much of a scratch on him from that attack. I knew Natsu was strong, but it was hard to believe he'd grown this powerful.

Taking advantage of the shock on Sabertooth's side, Natsu and Gajeel proceeded to pummel their opponents with kicks and punches until they were knocked to the ground. A cheering from the crowd followed, impressed with how well Fairy Tail was doing against the strongest guild's team.

"Wh–Who could've anticipated the battle would unfold like this!? Sabertooth's Twin Dragons are helpless against Fairy Tail! Is the match going to end like this!?

But it wasn't over yet. Sting and Rogue got to their feet, and despite the beating they'd taken, still looked like they could fight more. They both gathered energy again, but this time it felt different than before. Not did they just gain a strong aura surrounding them, it was even affecting their physical appearance. Was this the real power of a Dragon Slayer…?

"Dragon Force…" Levy uttered in disbelief.

"What?" I asked, not really understanding what she meant by that.

"It's a state that only Dragon Slayers can attain, granting them incredible destructive power. Normally, it can only be achieved through absorbing substances with powerful magical properties. To think these two can activate it at will… Unbelievable." She explained.

"That means it's bad news for Natsu and Gajeel?" I asked.

"Without being able to use it themselves here, they're put at a severe disadvantage." She said worriedly.

"The difference is that big, huh." I muttered as I turned my focus back on the fight. Even if Sting and Rogue had this special power-up, I wasn't going to count on Natsu and Gajeel losing this. I knew both of them were immensely strong. Especially Natsu. He was capable of pulling off the impossible in situations when everything seemed lost.

After they finished their transformation, Sting stepped forward. It looked like he was planning on taking on both Fairy Tail wizards all by himself.

"Sabertooth, despite being in dire straits a moment ago, has just declared a one-on-two battle!"

Even though Natsu and Gajeel were fighting side by side against only Sting, they were unable to even land a hit on him, as he blocked everything they threw at him, and continued to successfully counterattack. While in mid-air, Sting fired a large beam of light magic, striking the centre of the arena with a huge blast of energy. The entire stadium was shaking by the impact of the spell, and once the light of the attack faded, it revealed it had caused the floor of the arena to collapse, leaving behind a large and deep hole. Natsu and Gajeel were nowhere to be seen.

"Incredible! The floor of the arena, it's…!" 

* * *

Large lacrima-trons popped up all over the stadium, providing clear vision of the action inside the freshly created hole. Right now, it showed Natsu and Gajeel still falling down into the depths, with Sting jumping after them to continue his assault. But this time, he got a little too confident with himself, and left himself vulnerable to a sudden counterattack from our two Dragon Slayers, who smashed him to the bottom of the hole, which sort of looked like the remnant of an ancient, man-made tunnel. But he quickly seized control over the fight again with a strong, multi-shot light magic spell. Even though Natsu tried to defend against his attacks, he simply got overpowered by the strength of Sting taking full advantage of his Dragon Force state. Meanwhile, Gajeel wasn't doing much better, having trouble to even successfully land a hit on him, and getting hit back in the process. After taking several more painful blows from Sting's magic attacks, Natsu and Gajeel both ended up lying on the ground, not even moving anymore.

Was this going to be it? No… they wouldn't give up this easily.

"Oh, my! They're not moving at all! Has Fairy Tail succumbed at the end of this back-and-forth battle!?"

Seconds passed, and they were still down. But I still believed they could get up and turn this around. They've been in situations worse than this and still come out on top. The Natsu and Gajeel I knew wouldn't allow themselves to lose to guys like these.

I wasn't the only one. All the rest of our guild was still cheering them on. Everyone believed in them to finish this match with us winning it.

And we were proven right when Natsu got finally back up again, with Gajeel following right after him. They looked quite battered, but both still had plenty of spirit left to fight. As they stood up to continue the match, the crowd began to chant our guild's name in excitement.

While Sting and Rogue couldn't believe their eyes after their opponents managed to stand up again after all that, Natsu and Gajeel somehow ended up bickering and began fighting with each other. Whatever it was about, I knew them both well enough to know it most likely was about something stupid… Even so, if they had the energy to spare to bash each other's heads in at a time like this, they should still have a chance at winning.

Eventually, Natsu pushed Gajeel in an empty minecart and sent it riding off. Gajeel, suffering from motion sickness, couldn't muster the strength to get out of it and helplessly left the field. That might actually not have been the brightest idea, as it would be a one versus two fight from now on… but Natsu didn't seem to think so. He still had a confident smirk on his face… That meant he believed he could do this all by himself. I wouldn't have believed he could, if it had been any other person beside him… and okay, maybe Erza. 

* * *

"Insanity! Now Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail has declared his own one-on-two battle against the two Twin Dragons!" The commentator shouted excitedly.

Sting and Rogue didn't seem to be too amused by Natsu's cockiness and powered back up into Dragon Force again, as they prepared to finish this fight. But things were different this time around. Sting, even with a fully powered punch, couldn't break through Natsu's defence. In fact, it seemed Natsu didn't even had to try, it was as if he was a completely different person all of a sudden. Even under the pressure of Sting's punch, he managed to continue to gather more magic, surrounding himself with a wild, fiery aura, and using that power to punch back.

Rogue tried to take the opportunity to attack Natsu from behind with a Shadow Dragon Roar attack, but Natsu had already sensed him and countered with his own breath attack, which pierced through it with ease. Realising they were having to get serious, Sting and Rogue began to attack Natsu simultaneously now. But even with the two of them coming at him at the same time, Natsu perfectly timed his movements in order to dodge the both of them and still counterattack. Now, this was the Natsu I knew. Despite that, I couldn't help but stare in wonder at how amazingly well he was doing right now.

Finally, at their wit's end, the Twin Dragons came together and began to increase their power levels even further beyond their regular Dragon Force mode. With Sting creating a large orb of swirling light magic in his hand, and Rogue forming one using his shadow magic, they stood side by side. Their charged magic attack continued to power and size, and eventually started to merge together. Even from this far away, I could sense the incredible power they were generating, but Natsu was just standing there, not looking concerned about it in the least.

In an instant, the huge spheres of magic power that they'd created disappeared, then reformed in a much denser and small-sized form that fit in the palm of their hands. "Holy Shadow Dragon Flash Fang!" They shouted the name of their combined attack, then thrusted their fists forward and shot their spell at Natsu, who still wasn't moving at all.

At the very last moment, just before impact, Natsu changed his stance and produced enough magic power for a possible counterattack. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Flame Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" A gigantic burst of flames clashed with the fusion of light and shadow, creating so many chain explosions it was impossible to see anything. The shockwaves were causing the lacrima-trons to malfunction, but all the magic power I had felt earlier had disappeared now. Even without vision, it was save to say this match was over.

The lacrima-trons regained power and gave us a view over what was going on in the bottom of the hole again; just in time to see Sting and Rogue collapse. Natsu still stood there.

"Unbelievable…! The last man standing is Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel!" The stadium exploded with cheers and shouts, as the winner of the match was declared. Though the loudest of them all was our little guild stand.

If I didn't know better, I would've thought the Games would've ended right here and now. But tomorrow would be the last day of the tournament. With today's victory, we managed to seize the first place in the competition with one point up from Sabertooth in second place. Everything was going to be decided in whatever tomorrow would bring… but right now, it was time for a party.


	72. Chapter 70 - The Eclipse Project

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 70  
THE ECLIPSE PROJECT**

After congratulating Natsu on his win against Sabertooth's Twin Dragons, the entire guild, including Mavis herself, went to a pub to celebrate our victories. Even if I wasn't that fond of the rowdiness that was part of Fairy Tail's parties, I felt like joining in on this one. It was a great chance to forget all of the pain, anger and stress that I'd experienced these past few days since the tournament had started, though I refused to indulge myself in the consumption of alcohol.

"Say, do you know where Gajeel went?" Lily asked me with a serious look as he approached me at my table in a corner of the pub.

"Oh, now that you mention it… I have no idea." In all of the happiness that came with our victory over Sabertooth, I'd completely forgotten about Gajeel. He had been sent off in a minecart underneath the colosseum by Natsu during his match, but to think he hasn't returned yet. Could he have gotten lost, I wondered. Even so, it was difficult for me to be worried about that man. With the strength he possessed, it was unlikely he could have gotten in serious trouble. For all I knew, he was just sitting somewhere alone, chewing on a piece of metal or whatever he preferred.

"Natsu? Do you know what happened to Gajeel?" Lily turned around to face Natsu, who was somewhere in the centre, looking like he was ready to start a fight with Gray.

"Oh, yeah, that jerk suddenly ran off at some point! Does he even know what 'team battle' means!?" Natsu complained.

"You serious, flame-brain? Did you forget already?" Gray commented dryly, not amused by Natsu's terrible memory, and used it as an opportunity to freeze his head in a block of ice.

"You're asking for it, snowflake!" Natsu growled back at him after melting the ice and then set his fists on fire.

Luckily, Erza intervened and pulled the two apart before anything serious could happen, and made them apologise to each other. She really was the only one, besides the guild master, who could stop those two. 

* * *

The door of the pub opened, revealing Gajeel standing in the entrance.

"Gajeel!" Some of us shouted in surprise at seeing him finally return.

"Yeesh. I finally made it, for cryin' out loud." Gajeel said with an irritated look on his face.

"Where have you been, jerk? You blew off the match!" Natsu grumbled.

"Look… Because of your idiocy during the match, I fell underneath the colosseum!" Gajeel told him right to his face.

"Ahh…" Natsu went deep in thought for a couple of seconds, then turned to Gray. "Is that right?" He asked, at which point Gray simply smacked a hand to his forehead in frustration, the natural response to Natsu's extreme thick-headedness.

"That must've been rough, though." Natsu then said to Gajeel.

"Forget about it. More importantly, come with me, Salamander." Gajeel said, turning serious all of a sudden. "There's somethin' I wanna show you."

"Huh?" Natsu uttered in confusion, not knowing what Gajeel was talking about.

"And you." Gajeel pointed at me. "You can also come."

"Sure." I didn't know what this was all about, but I was up for doing something other than just sitting here all evening.

"You, kid. You might wanna come, too." He said to Wendy.

"Without that idiot, I'm gonna get bored. I'm also tagging along." Gray decided on his own, and was followed by Lucy who probably didn't want to be left behind either. If that wasn't enough, the three Exceed also came with us, all following Gajeel to whatever he wanted to show to Natsu. 

* * *

"What exactly is it that you want to show us, Gajeel?" Wendy asked after we'd followed him inside the dark and abandoned cave system that was located below the Domus Flau. We had been walking here for a good fifteen minutes already.

"Just be quiet and follow me." He answered plainly.

"Well, it better be worth all this walking." Natsu complained. With that I could agree, although I remained quiet about it. Gajeel wasn't the kind of person to ask us to come if it wasn't anything important.

"This is it." He said after a short while of walking.

It was a little hard to see in the darkness, but my eyes had already gotten used to it. We stood in front of an enormous underground chamber filled with the skeletons of monstrous creatures that I had never seen before. Could these be dragons? A dragon graveyard?

"Dragon bones… It's a dragon graveyard." Natsu muttered in amazement, confirming my guess about the monsters these skeletons belonged to.

"There are so many!" Carla stated in shock.

"This place confirms the existence of dragons." Lily spoke softly.

"What's goin' on here?" Natsu wondered aloud as we walked through the gigantic chamber. "All of these dragons…"

"Maybe Igneel is here, too…" Happy said. "Sorry!" He uttered when he realised it could make Natsu sad hearing about that.

"That's okay. He's not here." Natsu said as though he knew for a fact.

"Our dragons disappeared fourteen years ago. The remains at rest here are much more ancient." Gajeel stated. He seemed to be right about that. It was strange why all these dragon skeletons were gathered here, though. Something big must've happened to have caused this.

"Milky Way…" Wendy suddenly said when we stood still amongst the piles of bones scattered everywhere in this cave. "It's one of the Secret Dragon Slayer spells that Porlyusica taught me."

"And what does it do?" Gray inquired.

""Listen to the voices of the dragon souls that continue to the heavenly river." That is what she said when she told me about the spell. I thought it was a kind of attacking magic, but maybe this is what it refers to." She elaborated. "Milky Way may be magic that lets me hear the voices of dragon souls."

"If that's true, then, you could use that spell to talk to the dragons here about what happened here?" I asked her.

"Yes. And maybe learn what happened to our own dragons that disappeared." She said. I almost kind of forgot that she, too, was brought up by a dragon when she was very young. It wasn't something she really ever talked about with me.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get started!" Natsu said, liking the idea of talking to dragons.

"Sure. But I need some time." Wendy said. She took a sharp stone from in her hands and began to draw a large, complicated spell circle in the sand. 

* * *

"That'll do it. Everyone, please back up a bit." She said once she finally finished the circle. All of us took a couple of steps back to give her more room for whatever she would need it for. She sat down on her knees in the centre of the circle, with her hands clasped together, and began the incantation for her spell. "Wandering dragon souls, I would receive your voices. Milky Way!" Immediately after finishing the incantation, the spell circle and the area around it started glowing with an eerie green light. Above Wendy, nearly touching the ceiling of the cave, there was a miniature galaxy floating, surrounded by tens of tiny stars flying around it.

"I'm looking for the dragon souls. The wandering residual thoughts here are so ancient and tiny… I found one!" She was telling us what she was doing, and right then it seemed she had success in finding one. A bright green light appeared in front of her and heavily intensified over the course of seconds. At that moment, a huge claw came forth from the light she had summoned, followed by the rest of the dragon's body. It was huge! It barely fitted in the inside of this cave. Once it fully showed itself before us, it let out a mighty roar, sending shockwaves through the entire cave.

"Hue hue hue!" The dragon laughed at us, and continued to speak. "Seeing that shocked look on human faces never gets old. My name is Zirconus, also known as the Jade Dragon. The spell you used to summon my soul belonged to Grandine, the Sky Dragon, yes?" He kept talking without really giving us the chance to reply to him, as we stared in wonder at his appearance. "Where are you? Hm? Cute!" It took him a moment before he noticed Wendy, who was absolutely tiny in comparison to him, before him. She, however, continued to just sit there with her eyes closed, as if she was deeply concentrated on keeping up her spell. "This little Dragon Slayer summoned me?" He said as he took a closer look at her.

"Hey! Get away from Wendy!" Natsu yelled and raised his fist in anger.

"Forget it! I'm going to eat this girl!" Zirconus responded, not impressed with Natsu's reaction.

"Why, you…!" Natsu butted his head against that of the dragon.

"I'm kidding, of course, you stupid species!" Zirconus then said, and poked his finger through Natsu's body. "Look! What can an astral body do?"

To think dragons could be playful like that. It's not really something I would ever have expected from something that fearsome looking.

"My name is Zirconus, also known as the Jade Dragon." The dragon spoke again after a moment of silence.

"You already told us that!" Gray yelled in frustration.

"What happened here?" Happy finally asked the question that really mattered. "We summoned your soul so we could find out the truth."

"I have nothing to say to humans. Go away!" The dragon responded immediately.

"I'm a cat!" Happy held up his paw.

"Okay, then. It happened over four-hundred years ago…" Zirconus, apparently, was fine with sharing his knowledge with cats. He proceeded to give us his entire story about the dragons that lived back then, when they ruled the world. But it was during that time when a war broke out between the dragons themselves. Eventually, some dragons began to get humans involved in their war, and decided to teach them Dragon Slayer magic in order to assist them in the war against the other dragons. However, some of the most powerful Dragon Slayers were turning against the dragons that had taught them their magic. Amongst those, there was one Dragon Slayer who had bathed in the blood of too many dragons. As he continued to destroy dragons with his magic, he slowly turned into a dragon himself… All of the dragons that were resting in peace in this cave were all murdered by that man. Though human, he became the Dragon King. And his name was Acnologia.

"He slaughtered most of the dragons. That was four-hundred years ago. You people did this…" Zirconus finished his story, and his soul began to dematerialise.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted.

"You didn't tell us everything!" Gajeel exclaimed.

The light coming from Wendy's spell circle disappeared, letting the darkness return to this cave once more. "That's it. All of the souls have gone." She said as she opened her eyes and stood up again.

"That was one hell of a history lesson." Gray stated.

"Acnologia… So he was the one behind the extinction of dragons…" I muttered, still thinking about what the dragon had told us. 

* * *

"You people know about Zeref's Demons, don't you?" An unknown voice suddenly spoke to us. We all turned around to face him. A man, wearing full metal plate armour, stood on a large rock in the middle of the cave. He was accompanied by one other person; had they overheard everything the dragon had told us? He continued to talk to us. "Acnologia is similar to that. We believe that Zeref turned a Dragon Slayer into Acnologia. In other words, destroying Zeref, the root of all evil, will be the first step in the subjugation of Acnologia."

"Who are you!?" Gajeel spoke back to him.

"Oh! You're Yukino!" Lucy yelled and referred to the white-haired lady standing beside the armoured man.

"I am Arcadios, Captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, the kingdom of Fiore's military corps stationed in Crocus." He said, and approached our location.

"I'm Yukino Agria, temporary sergeant of the same. She said formally, showing no emotion. Really? Wasn't she a member of Sabertooth? I remember seeing her as one of the five members on their team in the tournament. Why was she with this royal knight, I wondered.

"What's a military big cheese doing here?" Gray asked, being suspicious of the duo.

"Follow me. I'll explain everything to you." Arcadios said, and gestured us to follow him. Since we had nothing left to do here, we did as he asked of us. While he lead us out of the caves again and to the royal palace itself, he told us about their need of a Celestial wizard for the Eclipse project in order to defeat Zeref and Acnologia. 

* * *

Eventually, we were brought to a large corridor that lead to wall with a huge and strange-looking gate. It had some strange design, I had never seen something like it before. Arcadios explained that with the magic of a Celestial wizard, the gate could be used to travel back in time, to the time before Zeref had obtained immortality. Killing him there would alter the world's history, giving us a world in which he and Acnologia would never have existed.

I didn't trust this at all. Changing such a big event from such a long time ago. Shouldn't that have a huge impact on the world? And perhaps not even for the best. Who knew what else would have happened if those two evils had never gotten the chance to develop themselves? There might have been others… I suddenly was reminded of Firaea and the other demi-gods. Could it be true they had fallen prey to Acnologia's lust for destruction as well? Would they still be alive if that evil dragon had never existed in the first place?

But I wasn't sure if I should speak up against it. Glancing at the others, it seemed they were having their doubts about this plan as well.

Suddenly, a large number of footsteps could be heard, rapidly approaching us. I looked behind me, and saw armed soldiers marching toward us. They surrounded our little group, pointing their spears at us. "That's enough! Don't move!" One of them yelled at us.

"What the hell!?" Natsu growled.

"Surrender peacefully, Captain Arcadios." A voice stated in the back of the bunch of soldiers. A rather short and elderly looking man made his way through, coming at us. Going by the way he was dressed, it was easy to tell this man was a higher-up.

"Minister of Defence, what is the meaning of this!?" Arcadios said once the man showed himself to us.

"That is my line. Leaking details of a top secret plan and state military secret to outsiders is abominable." The minister spoke harshly.

"These people have a critical role to play in the success of the operation." Arcadios defended his position.

"That's not a simple matter for you to arbitrarily decide on." The minister waved away his excuse.

"You're just opposed to the plan, aren't you!?" Arcadios was starting to get frustrated. "I want you to stop this nonsense immediately!"

"Of course I'm opposed to it!" The minister exclaimed. "Changing history! Can you even slightly imagine the inherent dangers, boy!?" That was one thing I could agree on, for sure. "Arrest Captain Arcadios on suspicion of treason!" He then commanded the soldiers. "Arrest Yukino Agria and Lucy Heartfilia too! Throw everyone else out!"

"Wait, me too!?" Lucy shrieked in surprise.

"You…! You're not getting' Lucy involved in this…!" Natsu growled and lit his fist on fire to prepare for a fight.

"Don't! You mustn't use magic here!" Arcadios shouted at him, but it was too late.

"Huh?" A white light shone from the gate, which then began to draw Natsu's fire toward it and absorb it. "The hell is this!?"

"Magic activated this close to Eclipse will siphon the user of all its power." The minister calmly elaborated. With Natsu having all of his power drained, he collapsed onto the ground. "Don't cause a fuss. Wizards who can't use magic are no threat to the kingdom." After that, the soldiers took Arcadios, Yukino and Lucy and dragged them away.

"Lucy!" Gray shouted, but he knew he was powerless in this situation. We all knew there was nothing we could do to stop them here.

"I will not let Eclipse be activated." The minister said, and then sent the remaining soldiers to take us out of the castle.

"I can give you one piece of advice." He said before leaving us. "His Majesty is fond of Fairy Tail. If you win the Grand Magic Games, I'll grant you an audience with the King. Knowing how kind he is, he may consider the matter of your friend's treatment. May you have gand magic battles." With that, he walked away.


	73. Chapter 71 - Operation Rescue Lucy

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 71  
OPERATION RESCUE LUCY**

That evening, after returning from our long trip with Lucy no longer amongst us, a guild meeting had been held to decide on the best course of action for the final day of the Grand Magic Games. But with everyone having different opinions and thoughts, it was tough to think of a plan that all of us could agree on. Everyone was arguing and trying to keep Natsu under control to keep him from storming the castle right away.

"Silence, everyone!" Makarov finally spoke up and caused everyone to drop what they were doing and pay attention to what he had to say. "Everyone, listen well. If we win the Grand Magic Games, they may release Lucy fair and square. But… we can't put all our faith in that, so here's the alternate plan." Everyone listened in antipication as to what the guild master had come up with. "Tomorrow, at the time of the start of the Games, we'll send a small group of our members to the castle, and have them help Lucy escape. During this time, the castle's security should be at its lowest, as it's safe to assume most of the guards will want to watch what's going on in the tournament finale."

"So, who's on the team to free Lucy?" Gray asked, impatiently and eagerly at the same time.

"Hold on, I was just getting to that." He paused for a bit, then looked at Natsu, who quietly stared back at him, waiting for his next words. "Natsu. I trust you to safely return Lucy to us." He then said.

"Really? You sure about this? Won't we need Natsu to win?" Elfman asked.

"It's true that Natsu is one of our strongest members, however…" Makarov was trying to think of the best way to explain this. "Let's just say, there's no way for me to stop him from going to the castle, as long as Lucy is kept there." The guild master sighed in slight embarrassment.

"Aw, yeah! You're the best, Gramps!" Natsu smirked, all pumped up for action.

"Mirajane and Wendy. You two are to come with him." He said and looked at the two girls. The both of them nodded back to confirm they were okay with this. "Roth. I want you to fill Natsu's spot on Fairy Tail's team for the final day of the Games." He turned to me.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to refuse." I responded, causing me to draw the attention from everyone in the room.

"Hm?" Makarov replied in surprise.

"I'd like – No, I insist on coming with Natsu's group." I said and briefly glanced at Wendy, who looked back at me. I was sure she understood.

"Hm… Very well, I understand." Makarov said after thinking it through for a moment. I hadn't expected him to let me change his plan this easily, but perhaps he knew more about me than I realised. After what happened to Wendy on the first day we'd come here, I couldn't just let her go without me again. Even though I had no doubt Natsu and Mirajane would do a fine job protecting her, I didn't want to take any risks. I don't think I could handle having one of my decisions backfire on me again and having Wendy get hurt as a result of it.

"Juvia will offer herself to take a place in the team for Fairy Tail." Juvia said as she stepped forward.

"It is decided, then." Makarov nodded, approving of Juvia's proposal. "Tomorrow will be the day Fairy Tail will take the first place in the competition, and bring back our Lucy!" He shouted and raised his finger toward the ceiling, which was followed by a loud cheering and everyone raising their finger in similar fashion.

* * *

That's what happened yesterday. Today was going to be the big day for us. It was time to claim our number one spot in the Grand Magic Games. And for our little group, it was time to get Lucy out of the royal castle. Going by the noise coming from the stadium, it was clear the final battle was about to start.

Natsu, Wendy, Mirajane and I were accompanied by the three Exceed, who might come in handy in case we were going to need them to sneak through small passages, or for their ability of flight.

"All right! This is it!" Natsu exclaimed. He was full with energy this morning and determined to make this mission a success.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy shared his enthusiasm.

"What will be the plan for getting into the palace without getting caught?" Wendy asked to no one in particular as we made our way through the deserted streets of Crocus.

"I have a good idea!" Happy immediately answered as if he had already prepared for it.

"I bet it's a stupid one." Carla said, showing her lack of confidence in Happy.

"What are you talking about? Huhuhu." Happy responded with a sinister laugh, and told us to stay where we were while he flew off.

Not minutes later, he returned, holding a bunch of colourful set of clothes in his tiny paws. "If you all wear this, no one will recognise us!" He said and handed us the costumes.

"Really? You want us to cosplay? And wearing this?" I asked, not convinced of Happy's plan at all when I looked at what seemed like a set of pirate clothing.

"I'm not sure about this either." Natsu grumbled, wearing a rather silly looking bear suit.

"I'm supposed to wear this?" Wendy asked, unsure about this plan, as she put on a giant pumpkin head.

"See, perfect disguises!" Happy declared proudly when he saw us wearing the clothes he'd brought.

"That's way too suspicious." Carla said, unimpressed with the whole thing.

"It's okay! I've got an idea!" Mirajane said happily.

* * *

"I have a feeling we've been in this situation before…" I Natsu muttered as we were made to look like we got caught by the royal guard, who was in fact Mirajane having transformed herself to disguise as one.

"No kidding. At least it's without the tight ropes." I said back, being reminded of that time in Edolas where Erza had treated us as real criminals. Fortunately, Mirajane's approach was a lot softer and friendlier.

"Quiet now." Mirajane whispered right before we came in sight of two guards standing in front of one of the many gates leading to the castle. They looked kind of bored and I couldn't blame them for it. Poor guys probably were unhappy to be missing out on the Games' final match.

"Hey, what do you want? And who are you?" One of the guards said when he noticed Mirajane holding the three of us approaching them.

"Intruders. I'm sure they've come to save that Fairy girl." Mirajane said with a manly voice to go with her disguise. Her transforming ability really was impossible to see through.

"Fairy Tail? Hm, His Majesty and the Minister of Defence are both out…" Said the first guard.

"We'll just have to throw 'em in the dungeon. Take 'em." Said the other.

"Roger." Mirajane responded and took is in the direction of the gate, but then got halted.

"Hey, the dungeon is that way." One of the guards said, pointing in the other direction.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I've just recently been posted here. Heh, heh." She quickly made up an excuse on the spot to avoid appearing suspicious and laughed nervously. The guards watched her as she walked away, but they seemed to have fallen for it. Or they might be too bored to even want to bother with more work right now. Either way, that was a close one, but we were one step closer now.

"You're brilliant, Mira!" Wendy complimented her when we out of sight of any guards, to which she smiled back in response.

* * *

Eventually, we made it into the dungeon. It was quite a big place, though most of the cells were empty. After a while searching for it, we finally found the cell in which Lucy was held on the lowest floor of the dungeon. It appeared she was asleep, though, as was Yukino, her cell-mate.

"Lucy!" Natsu whispered as to avoid making unnecessary noise. She slept through the first one, but with his second attempt, she finally seemed to wake up from her sleep. It took a third call to have her actually notice us standing outside the cell, waiting for her. She quickly ran up to us upon seeing us.

"Natsu! Wendy! Mira and Roth, too! I…" She shouted with joy, but Natsu put his hand on her mouth to mute her voice.

"We're here, too!" Happy exclaimed, with Carla and Lily standing next to him.

"Everyone!" Lucy said happily when she saw the Exceed had also come here.

"How did you get in here?" Yukino asked after having woken up from all the noise we'd made.

"Never mind that, just back up!" Natsu said, lightly knocking on the metal bars of the cell. He then grabbed two of the bars and began using his Fire magic to send extreme heat to them, ultimately making them melt to create an opening for Lucy and Yukino to get out.

"Here, we brought a change of clothes." Mirajane said and handed Lucy a new set of clothes.

"Thanks, everyone!" Lucy said, grateful for all we were doing for her. But really, was this a proper time to bother with changing clothes? The longer we'd stay lingering here, the bigger the chance would be we might get found by a patrolling guard. But since nobody else seemed to object to it, I quietly waited as Lucy was putting on her new outfit.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from below and the floor slightly shook for a moment before it completely opened up beneath our feet and made us fall into the dark depths below. It all happened so fast and sudden, none of us had time to even react.


	74. Chapter 72 - Hell Palace

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 72  
HELL PALACE**

With a loud crash, we landed in a bunch on each other, with Natsu completely on bottom, softening the fall for the rest of us.

"Heavy…!" He groaned in pain.

We all got up, and I dusted off my clothes before looking at what kind of place we'd landed in. It was dark, like the caves we'd visited the day before with Gajeel, but there didn't seem to be any giant monster bones lying around here, so this was probably a different place if I had to guess.

"What the hell is this?" Natsu asked as he looked around.

"Welcome to Hell Palace." A female voice echoed through the room we were standing in, though it was hard to determine where the sound was coming from. "You fell right into the trap. This is the capital of death, where all criminals end up." Which would probably explain why so many of the cells in the dungeon above were empty… "However, no one has ever gotten out. Rot down there, rebels!"

We turned around and saw a large lacrima-tron, showing the woman speaking to us. Going by the jewelry and fine dress she wore, she looked like she'd be part of the royal family. She also had two guards standing beside her.

"Who the hell are you!?" Natsu yelled at the vision of her.

"I'm Hisui E. Fiore, the princess of the kingdom of Fiore!" She answered.

"Dammit! Where's the friggin' exit!?" Natsu howled in frustration, but the vision disappeared without her giving us any more information regarding this place.

"I can't even see an entrance, let alone an exit." Lily grunted.

"What should we do!?" Wendy said in desperation.

"We find a way to break outta this place, obviously." Natsu responded with determination and walked off. The rest of us followed him.

"By the way, are we trusting this Sabertooth girl?" I asked the others, referring to Yukino, when I saw her coming with our group. "After all, she's part of the guild that had no problem hurting Lucy."

"It's fine, Roth. She is no longer a member of Sabertooth." Lucy said, seemingly not minding her presence.

"I don't care either way." Natsu said indifferently and continued his way through the dark cave.

"Listen." I turned to her. "Even if the others trust you, know that I'm keeping an eye out on you." I warned her. "You dare hurt my friends, and I'll make you pay for it. This time, there won't be any tournament rules protecting you." There was no way of knowing what she might be planning; anyone coming from a guild as crazy as Sabertooth's wasn't worth blindly trusting.

"I understand." She responded calm and curtly, not at all fazed by my hostile attitude toward her.

"She's not that bad, Roth." Wendy softly said to me after I turned away from her again, but I didn't want to bother arguing about it. I didn't get why nobody seemed to mind her after the things Sabertooth has done to us. Was she forgiven solely because she was no longer part of that guild? 

* * *

"We keep walking and walking, but there's no exit?" Lucy moaned, sounding like she was getting tired of this.

"Didn't we pass by here before?" Lily mentioned.

"Look at the skulls lying over there." Natsu said as he picked up a random one. It looked like that of a human… Must have been one of the criminals who got dumped in here a long time ago.

"Don't pick it up!" Lucy said, sounding a little frightened.

"Well, this is the capital of death… I guess I could say." Lily commented.

"The princess said this is where criminals end up… Without anyone ever having made it out alive." Carla said in a depressed tone.

"Gimme a friggin' break. Just for that we're definitely gonna get out. I'm fired up." Natsu said, smirking.

"That's right! If she thinks we'll give up, she's sorely mistaken!" Lucy said with renewed hope.

"Wait! What if they're watching us?" Happy suddenly yelled as an idea had popped up in his head.

"Watching?" Natsu muttered in confusion.

"Aye! I just thought of a good idea!" Happy announced. Both Carla and Lily already sighed, knowing it was probably going to be something dumb again, as usually was the case with Happy's ideas.

"What's your idea?" Lucy asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I bet the kingdom's soldiers have us under surveillance." Happy said.

"You mean they're guarding us?" Natsu said and scanned the surroundings for signs of evidence of Happy's bold claim.

"True, it seems like they'd do that." Mirajane said after thinking about it.

"Right? So let's get the guards' attention and lure them here." Happy said and proceeded to draw his plan in the sand using a bone he borrowed from a skeleton. "As soon as the guards come here, we brilliantly escape!"

"I understand what you're saying, but this drawing is…" Lucy said and looked at what Happy made. It didn't really look like anything that made sense.

"We don't know where they are or if they're watching us, so how do we get their attention?" Lily questioned him.

"Why would they even be watching us when they know no one who enters this place is getting out alive?" I said, not convinced by this plan at all. "Frankly, I think it'd be a waste of time to bother with this." Maybe I was a bit too blunt with my statement, but at the same time, we couldn't just afford to waste our energy on something that was unlikely to yield any meaningful results. "Look, we were dropped in here through the ceiling that acts as a one-way gateway into this place. How do you expect guards to come in here to check on us and then leave again when this place is supposed to have no exit?"

"Can't argue with that." Lily said and nodded.

"What you're saying is that you don't believe there's a way out of this place, Roth?" Wendy asked me. The thought of being stuck in this place seemed to scare her.

"Ugh… I don't know, okay? I just know that we're going to waste our time following Happy's plan." I said and sighed in frustration. Happy looked quite unhappy after hearing that from me and gave up on the idea. "Let's just continue walking and see what we find." I then suggested. I felt a bit bad for being so harsh to Happy, and I could sense Natsu's glare aimed at me as a result of my words. I hoped he would understand the situation we were in and let it go.

After about yet another hour or so of walking, Natsu suddenly collapsed onto the ground and wasn't moving at all. We all rushed to his side to see what was wrong with him.

"Natsu! Natsu, come on! Wake up!" Lucy exclaimed and nudged him in the hopes it would help make him move.

"He's not even twitching." Wendy said sadly.

"Can't your magic do anything, Wendy?" Mirajane asked her.

"No. My power isn't strong enough to do anything." She responded with tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry! If only I knew more magic, this wouldn't have happened!" She was now crying.

"It's not your fault!" Lucy tried to console her, then turned to Natsu again. "Come on, Natsu, you're upsetting Wendy!" She said like he was to blame for it.

"It ain't my fault! I'm so hungry I can't walk another step!" Natsu suddenly groaned and finally got up again as if nothing had happened to him.

"At this rate, we're all going to be in problems if we don't find something to eat soon." I said worriedly. Being reminded of food made me realise I was getting hungry myself. The breakfast I had had at the inn was already quite some hours in the past. 

* * *

"Natsu!" Happy shouted as he and Carla came flying to our group.

"Any luck, Happy?" Natsu asked.

"No. Even the ceiling is totally sealed off." He reported regrettably

"I don't think there is an exit in here." Carla stated what we'd been suspecting all this time.

"Dammit! After we walked all the way here!" Natsu grumbled in frustration.

"Just how big is this place, anyway?" I asked, though it was largely just rhetorically. I doubted anybody amongst us would actually know the answer, but to my surprise, Yukino responded.

"I happened to overhear this." She said. "The underground area beneath the palace is ten times as wide as the capital, Crocus."

"That's depressing…" I said and sighed.

"Come to think of it, Natsu, what about the tournament?" Lucy asked him.

"Roth was asked to take my place, but he refused to." Natsu explained. "Juvia then offered to take it in his stead."

"They were both like, "I'm gonna save Lucy!"." Happy said with a misschievous smile on his face.

"Yeah, well…" Natsu responded dryly. I didn't even bother responding to it… it was hard to take Happy serious when he spoke like that, anyhow.

"Oh, stop! You're making me feel bashful!" Lucy said blissfully.

"It's strange. Despite the circumstances, being with all of you makes me feel at ease." Yukino said, showing a slight smile.

"Maybe that's because you're with friends." Mirajane replied in a friendly manner. Yeah, right. As if we were going to be friends with Sabertooth scum. I knew I wasn't going to accept it. As far as I was concerned, she was still the enemy of Fairy Tail. But I kept my mouth shut this time.

"I'll tell you one thing." Natsu said to Yukino after we continued walking again. "I didn't forget about you either."

"Oh, you don't have to…" Yukino said, seemingly not really knowing how to respond to that. "That aside, uhm, there's something I want to tell you, Mister Natsu."

"What is it?" He asked.

"While we were in captivity, Miss Lucy told me. When I was expelled from Sabertooth, you became furious and stormed the Crocus Garden." She told him what she'd heard, although this was news to me. It must have happened during the time I spent in the infirmary I then thought.

"Y–Yeah… I remember that." Natsu said with a nervous grin and glanced the other way.

"This means he totally doesn't remember it!" Happy said, amused by Natsu's reaction.

"Anyway, aren't you with the kingdom's Alpaca Pals or whatever club?" Natsu hastily asked her to avoid letting the conversation go on about his terrible memory. "Sorry if we got you involved in trouble."

"It's Arcadios!" Happy corrected him.

"No." Yukino sighed. "I'd always wanted to be in Sabertooth. So I truly was shocked when they kicked me out. Right now, I'm just a provisional member of the Royal Armed Forces."

"What was the reason they expelled you from their guild?" I said, getting curious about her story.

"I lost my battle against Kagura in the Grand Magic Games." Yukino answered with a tone of sadness in her voice. "Sabertooth hates the weak. They don't accept people who can't win fights."

There you had it. There was nothing to be shocked about, then. Once again, I kept my thoughts to myself and remained quiet instead. I didn't even understand what the appeal was of joining a guild that only cared about how strong you were. Why would anybody want to be part of such a guild?

"It's also true that she has nowhere to go home to." Lucy said. "Both of her parents passed away when she was a child and her big sister went missing."

"That's why I felt so happy when I heard you fought on my behalf, Mister Natsu." She said and then lightly bowed to him. "Thank you so much."

"Hey, everyone, don't you think she kind of looks like Lisanna?" Mirajane suddenly said and gently placed both her hands on Yukino's shoulders as she stood behind her.

"Now that you mention it…" Lucy said, thinking Mirajane was kind of right about that.

"Who's Lisanna?" Yukino asked.

Mirajane giggled, then answered. "She's my little sister."

Those words put a serene smile on Yukino's face.

Our conversation was interrupted by a rumbling in the cave system, causing a rain of small rocks to fall from the ceiling in the area.

"What's this?" Natsu said after sniffing the air.

"I feel flowing air." Wendy muttered

"We'll check it out!" Carla said and flew off with Lily at her side.

"This smell… I remember it from somewhere." Natsu said.

"Everyone! There's a crevice over here! I think we can pass through!" Carla exclaimed as she'd already returned from her scouting.

"Yay! You're my hero, Carla!" Happy shouted happily. We proceeded to all follow Carla in the direction where she'd found this opening.

"It seems more like it's been melted than a natural crevice." Lily pointed out as we carefully made our way through it one by one. Come to think of it, he was right. The walls on both sides were way too smooth. Then, could this passage have been made with the use of magic, I wondered.

Once we finally all made it to the other side, Wendy spotted a figure lying on the ground in the distance. "Everyone, somebody's over there!" She alerted us.

"Mister Arcadios!" Yukino exclaimed once we got close enough to make out enough details to identify the person.

"I get it. It was this old man's scent." Natsu said, explaining the familiar scent he'd smelled earlier.

"Hey, are you all right!? Wake up!" Natsu yelled as he knelt beside him.

"What's he doing here?" Happy said.

"He was dropped in here like we were." Lucy stated. It really could have been the only way. But why, though? I thought the guy was Captain of their army or something.

"Run…" Arcadios said to us when he woke up. It looked like he was in pain, as if he'd been injured.

"Huh?" We all responded in confusion. But Wendy ignored his order and went to heal him instead using her magic.

"Don't worry about me! Get away from here!" Arcadios warned us again. It was then that we heared a strange voice coming from behind us.


	75. Chapter 73 - The Garou Knights

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 73  
THE GAROU KNIGHTS**

I looked over my shoulder and saw a huge figure, holding a glass bottle in his mouth between his teeth, right behind me. He had his fist raised, charged with magic energy, and smashed the ground where we had been standing on with it. We were lucky he hadn't stayed silent, or his first attack could've done some serious damage to our group. We all managed to jump away in the nick of time, with Natsu having picked up Arcadios, since he was still too weakened to move by himself.

The effect of this enemy's punch melted the ground around it, resulting in giving it a similar surface as the walls of the crevice we'd gone through earlier.

Suddenly, another figure showed up, and created explosions on the ground underneath our feet, sending us flying into the air.

"Ouch." Lucy moaned in pain once we landed again.

"Who the hell are these guys!?" Natsu growled.

But no answer came. Vines burst from the ground and purple confetti flew around the place. A large flower bud, surrounded by the vines, blossomed and from it emerged a pink-haired woman. All the confetti gathered itself in one place, eventually forming itself into a person.

"I told you to get away from here." Arcadios spoke.

"Old man, do you know these guys?" Natsu asked him.

"They're an independent unit that supports the kingdom of Fiore from the shadows. They're the kingdom's strongest executioners. Their name is… the Garou Knights."

"Mission fifteen-hundred, begin." The metal-masked leader of the group of five executioners spoke while facing us.

"That's interesting. Didn't they say nobody who enters this place gets to leave it?" I questioned the situation.

"Roth's right." Lily agreed. "Why send executioners after us when we have no means to survive or escape here, anyway?"

"Besides, they wouldn't just send their strongest executioners and leave them to die here, would they?" Carla asked after thinking through mine and Lily's words.

"No. You got it wrong." Arcadios then said. "It's impossible to get out of this Hell Palace alive because of them!"

"Then, do they just live here, or do they get to exit after doing their job? Because that'd mean this place does have an exit!" Natsu smirked, excited at the thought of finding the exit.

"It matters not. You shall not be leaving this place alive. We will make sure of that." The leader of the executioners spoke. "With the special authority granted to us, we, the Garou Knights, will now execute the criminals."

It was silent for a moment, but then Natsu burst out laughing. "You guys, knights!? You don't look anything like knights!" He said through his laughter.

"And their outfits don't match at all…" Wendy pointed out.

"Don't be fooled by their appearance!" Arcadios yelled at us. "The magic they use is designed to kill people!"

"Huh. Magic designed to kill, eh?" Natsu said, not sounding very impressed by it. "Perfect! Our way outta here has come strollin' up to us!" He then said, showing some of his fighting spirit.

"That's right. They can tell us where the exit is." Mirajane said decidedly, seemingly not that intimidated by these so-called executioners either.

"Miss Lucy and Miss Yukino, you don't have your keys, right? Please back away." Wendy said, getting herself ready for a fight.

"That's right. We'll take things from here. You two should get Arcadios to a safer place." I said as I cast Prequip onto myself.

"Happy, Carla, get back." Lily said to his fellow Exceed and transformed himself into his much bigger battle form. "Been a while since I've been in battle. My blood is boiling."

"Leave them to us, first." The two women on the team of executioners said and stepped forward. Were they serious about thinking they could deal with the five of us with just two of them? They might be even more stupid than they looked… 

* * *

"Just two of you!? Then I'll take you both on myself!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I don't think so." I said and came to stand at his side, planning to join him. "If they want to send only two of them at us, then let them. The sooner we beat these goons, the faster we can leave this place." Indeed, it wasn't that I didn't think Natsu wouldn't be capable of beating them on his own, but this was no time to play around.

"No! They're mine!" Natsu yelled, acting like a child fighting over a toy. The others seemed a bit hesitant, because knowing Natsu with his explosive fighting style, they could get hurt in friendly fire, but still took a step forward to show they'd have our backs.

While we were distracted arguing about who was going to fight, our two opponents were about to make their move. A shower of red confetti was blown in our direction, but with Natsu standing in the front, he was taking the most of the hit. "Confetti, Red Dance!" The dark-haired lady shouted the name of her attack.

"You don't know who you're messin' with." Natsu smirked. "I'll burn 'em all to ashes!" He blasted streams of fire from his fists in an attempt to get rid of the paper magic, but it didn't seem to have any effect. "What the hell!?"

"Red paper is the god of flames." The woman smiled with confidence. "Scatter!" With her next spell, the burning confetti gathered and clumped into several big pieces, each forming giant fists that began to mercilessly smash Natsu into the ground.

While she was busy dealing with Natsu, I threw myself into the action, hoping to catch her off-guard. "Come, everyone!" I shouted as I charged at her. Wendy used a mighty Sky Dragon Roar to free Natsu from his perilous position, while Mirajane, Lily and I launched an assault on the enemy that was using the paper magic. Unfortunately, she saw our attacks coming and jumped out of the way. At this time, the pink-haired girl joined the fight and used vines to grab several of us, including me, by our limbs, making it impossible for us to move at all.

To think she was able to take us out so quickly… I noticed I was unable to channel any magic through the limbs that were caught by her vines, which meant I was rendered completely defenceless. Even Mirajane in her Satan Soul form seemed to struggle being stuck in this position. But Natsu and Lily came to our rescue, destroying the vines with Fire magic, and Lily using his giant sword.

With all five of us taking on the two executioners, I could see the rest of their group getting restless. We'd probably have to try to finish this soon before this would become an all-out five-on-five brawl. Without knowing what kind of magic the other knights were capable of using, we could end up being disadvantaged against them if it were to come to that.

"Out of the way! Focused Strike!" I warned the others to make room for my lightning spell to use as a finisher, but as I was about to fire the beam from my sword, a hurricane of purple confetti surrounded us. A great number of them landed on me, sticking to my clothes and skin, and completely immobilised me.

"I can't move!" Natsu exclaimed. It seemed it had gotten all over us. This wasn't good.

Next, a giant flower plant from the ground that began to suck us towards it with strong gusts of wind that even affected Lucy and Yukino, who had been standing in the back. Without being able to move, we we were helplessly dragged in the direction of the deadly looking plant.

"I'll free your bodies of paralysis!" Wendy shouted and raised one of her arms that hadn't been hit by the confetti. "Anomalour Conditions Healing Magic… Laser!" Her spell surrounded us in a green glowing light and not a moment later had all the confetti that was stuck on us removed. We were able to move freely again, but the plant was still drawing us closer to it with its power.

"Only one thing we can do! Destroy it!" Natsu shouted.

On that plan, all of us could agree. I charged the blade of my sword with lightning and launched it at the plant. Combined with the power of Natsu's fire spell and the strength of Mirajane and Lily, the plant exploded in a blinding light of destruction, sending shockwaves throughout the entire cave.

"Wait! I have a bad feeling about this!" Lucy yelled, frightened by the destruction we were causing.

Blinded by the light of the explosion, I felt the ground beneath my feet crumbling and I tumbled into the depths without knowing where I landed. 

* * *

Once my sight recovered, I found myself lying in a dark, abandoned corridor. Behind me, I heard something moving. Luckily, it turned out to be an ally.

"We fell another long way." Natsu groaned and and got to his feet, and then helped me get up as well.

"Right, but where did the others go?" I asked after noticing nobody else seemed to be here.

"Hey! Is everybody okay!?" Natsu shouted, but the only answer that we got were the repeated echoes of his voice as the sound travelled through the empty hallways.

"It seems that the shockwave scattered everyone." An unfamiliar voice said. We turned around and were greeted by the sight of the Garou Knights' leader standing before us. "But my knights are highly capable. None of your people will live to go home."

"I highly doubt that. Come on, Natsu. Let's take him out and then find the others." I said, more cool-headedly than I felt at the moment. Having had a taste of their power, it was clear these guys weren't just simple amateurs. If one of us were to fight two of them at once, we could be in trouble. I prayed Wendy was going to be fine; if anything would happen to her here, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Although she was not the only one to worry about. Both Lucy and Yukino were mostly defenceless without any of their keys, and Arcadios was still in bad condition. We would have to hope they were with one of the others.

The executioner drew the two large-bladed shapes from his back and in an instant stood behind us, swinging his weapons at our necks. I sensed his magic just in time to know where his attack was coming from and managed to duck and dash away in time. Natsu also dodged the blade coming at him, but counterattacked with a low sweeping kick that struck the enemy's leg. Even though he had been thrown off-balance, he used the opportunity to rapidly spin in mid-air and swung his scythes around like saw blades. Natsu was forced into retreating from his position and backflipped to a safer location.

Once the executioner hit the floor and stopped his spinning movement, I instantly Lightning Stepped behind him and successfully kicked him in the back, making him stumble forward. Natsu leaped at him, using this chance to connect a fiery uppercut.

While our enemy was in the air, he vanished in an instant, and then reappeared again a few metres away. Despite struggling to deal with both of us at the same time, he remained calm. Natsu, however, didn't give him a chance to catch his breat and followed up with a spell. "Roar of the Fire Dragon!" A large ball of fire was shot from his mouth and flew at the executioner. With a mere slash of his scythe, he tore through the flames, negating Natsu's attack.

"What? The flames disappeared!?" Natsu said in shock at seeing his attack countered so easily.

"Indeed. My left scythe negates the magic of sinners." The executioner stated.

"In that case, I'll just beat ya with my bare fists!" Natsu shouted as he launched himself at the masked man with burning fists. Even if his scythe was capable of cancelling out magic, the power from Natsu's punch alone should be strong enough to deal serious damage.

As the executioner jumped away to move out of the way of Natsu's attack, I shot a Lightning Shock spell at him from the side. Surprisingly enough, he spotted my spell incoming, and swung his scythe at it, cleaving through the bolt of lightning with ease. He was certainly good, but so far, he'd mostly been defending against us. As long as we'd keep attacking, he wouldn't have a chance to attack back.

As Natsu charged at him again, he attempted to counterattack using his scythes. This time, instead of dodging the blades, Natsu stopped them simply by grabbing them with his hands. The executioner looked in fear at Natsu's display of raw power. With our enemy locked in place, I took this opportunity to attack. "Meteor Flash!" Using the speed generated from using Lightning Step, I planted my fist in his stomach with maximum strength, sending him flying. Natsu crushed the blades of his scythes with his bare hands, then jumped after the executioner who was still in mid-air, and punched him with a fire-charged fist to finish him off. The power of his blow sent the poor guy crashing through several walls of solid rock.

All things considered, that went fairly well. Had I faced him all alone, he could've posed a decent challenge. But with Natsu at my side, he really never stood a chance against us.

"Man, that's it?" Natsu smirked.

"Looks like it." I smiled and wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Now, we'd best go look for the others."

Those were unnecessary words, as Natsu was already crawling through the hole in the wall created by the executioner. "Oi! Come over here, Roth!" He shouted at me once he got to the other side. I did as he said and made my way through the wall.

"Natsu! Roth!" Happy exclaimed when he the two of us coming into this new corridor where all five of the executioners were lying unconscious on the ground.

"Huh? Everyone!" Wendy said in surprise when she, too, just arrived in here from another direction.

It seemed everyone else had just finished their own fights with these guys and we'd all come together in this location again. Thank Mavis Wendy was all right, I thought to myself and let out a sigh of relief.

"Haha! What a coincidence!" Natsu laughed happily when he saw everyone just getting here after winning from the Garou Knights.

"Is everyone okay?" Wendy asked the others to offer her healing magic to anybody who might've needed it after their fight.

"Well, more or less. Anyway, we'd better get out find our way out of here fast…" Lucy said with a smile. I was surprised to see her doing so well, considering she didn't have her keys when she came here. Though, Loke stood in the back, carrying a fainted Arcadios over his shoulder. I assumed he'd come out without the need of a Celestial key to assist her in her battle.

"Right." Natsu then turned his attention on the Garou Knights. "Now, tell us where the exit is, or I'm going to have to execute you…" He showed a devilish grin and cracked his knuckles. Looking at him, I had the feeling he wouldn't even mind if they wouldn't tell us… Unfortunately for Natsu, their leader pointed his finger vaguely in a direction. "Th–That way…" He muttered, barely able to speak after the beating he received.

"Thanks!" Natsu replied overly cheerful, and with that, our group headed in the direction of the exit, leaving the defeated executioners behind in the dark corridor.


	76. Chapter 74 - Future Meets The Present

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 74  
FUTURE MEETS THE PRESENT**

"We keep going, but it all looks the same. It throws off your sense of direction, too." Lucy commented as we continued our journey through the Hell Palace. It had indeed been almost an hour since our victory over the Garou Knights, but so far, it didn't seem we were going anywhere. Had they really given us a honest answer regarding the exit of this place, I wondered.

"I can feel a slight breeze. I think we're good." Wendy stated. Being a user of Air magic, she was probably right, then.

"Man, I can't wait to get out of this gloomy cave and get somethin' to eat." Natsu groaned. "My stomach is as empty as the inside of that ice prick's head."

"I'm surprised you've held out as long as you did." Lucy complimented him.

"Yes. Didn't you say you couldn't walk another step some hours ago?" Mirajane asked him and giggled lightly, amused by Natsu's exaggerated way of expressing himself.

"I wonder how the tournament is going…" I wondered aloud when I thought of leaving this dungeon and getting back to Crocus. "Would they be finished by now?"

"Possibly. For all we know, everyone might already be partying, celebrating our guild's victory." Lucy sighed at the idea of missing out on a grand banquet.

"That is, if we won." Wendy said, sounding not entirely assured about our guild's chances for victory.

"Of course they'll win! There's no way Fairy Tail could possibly lose against those other losers! Kahaha!" Natsu laughed out loud.

"We keep proceeding downwards." Lily pointed out. He was right; we had already descended several stairs, and were currently on yet another one, leading us ever deeper into the depths.

"We have no idea how deep this place is…" Lucy said, sounding a little worriedly.

"Well, if those Garou Knights are to be trusted, we should still be on the right track." I added. I had my doubts about it, but according to Wendy, there was a breeze coming from the direction we were going, meaning we should be going the right way. 

* * *

"Oh! I smell something!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed as we walked down another staircase.

"It seems we're close to the exit." Wendy ensured us.

"Oi! Look at that!" Lily said and pointed forward.

"A door!" Natsu yelled. At the bottom of the stairs there was indeed a large door. Finally!

"We can finally get out of here!" Lucy said happily.

"How can we open it?" Wendy asked. Seeing how the door was closed and looking pretty sturdy, that was a valid question. But in a worst case scenario, we could probably break our way through it by throwing our strongest magic at it.

"Leave it to me! Roar of the…" Natsu yelled and ran ahead without any warning. But as he was about to strike the door with his flames, it opened; a bright light coming from the other side of it. A figure wearing a black, hooded robe appeared in the centre of the door opening.

"It opened!" Happy stated the obvious in shock.

Natsu was so taken by surprise that he completely lost his balance, stumbled and then continued rolling over the ground in a rather funny manner.

"An ambush!?" Wendy said.

As Natsu came at a stop at the feet of the hooded stranger who stood before him in the door opening, he looked up for a closer look of this person. The rest of us were all ready for a fight if this stranger had evil intentions, but somehow… the magic energy coming from him or her, seemed familiar. Strange…

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu asked. He didn't immediately get a response from the stranger, but his nose seemed to pick up something. "Hey, wait a second! This scent…" He said in bewilderment.

"Natsu…" The mysterious person finally spoke, sounding like she was on the verge of crying. A single tear could be seen rolling down her cheek. That voice, though… wasn't that Lucy's? "I'm sorry!" She said and put her hand over her face to stop the tears.

"You're…" Natsu seemed to have come to the same realisation. But it couldn't really be Lucy, could it? She was right here, with us… This didn't make any sense.

"Help me!" The hooded figure said weakly through her crying.

"Hold on there!" Lucy said and stepped forward to the stranger. It was then that the stranger took off the hood that had been hiding her face, revealing that she was, in fact, Lucy. "No way!" Our Lucy said with her eyes widened in shock at the sight of seeing a copy of her standing before us all. What on Earth Land was going on here?

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, as confused as the rest of us were.

"Two Lucys!? What, is she from Edolas or something?" Happy questioned.

"No. This doesn't seem to anything that simple." Lily stated, sounding rather certain about this.

"Please... help me!" The second Lucy said once again. Tears were still coming down her cheeks... she looked awfully depressed as she stood there. I didn't know what to think of this.

" _Don't tell me this girl–..._ "

The mysterious voice in my head cut itself off. I wondered what it was trying to say... It sounded like it was actually afraid of something, and it had something to do with this other Lucy. I wanted to ask it what that was all about, but with all the others nearby, obviously, I couldn't just do that now.

"You're not Gemini, are you?" Yukino threw out a wild guess.

The other Lucy shook her head, then proceeded to talk. "You already know about Eclipse, the time-travel portal, right?"

"Eclipse? Don't tell me..." Lily said. But that could mean only thing...

"... I come from the future." She finally said.

"What!? This is... so sudden, I don't understand..." Our Lucy then said, totally confused about this whole situation.

"This country is about to..." She was going to say something, but then fainted and collapsed before she could finish.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted and checked up on her, but he got no answer.

"This is creeping me out. Why would I...?" Our Lucy said, sounding saddened. With the mysterious Lucy unconscious now, Natsu picked her up and carried her over his shoulder as we made our way through the exit. We'd have to ask her for more information once she'd wake up again.

* * *

"Another door? I thought the last one was the exit outta here." Natsu said when we came across another large gate in the long hallway that was part of the castle's deepest dungeon. There were several other passages winding off in different directions, so it was hard to tell which way we'd have to go in order to get out.

"I feel a breeze here and there, so I can't figure out which one leads to the outside." Wendy said regrettably.

"This is a problem, especially since we've got wounded." Loke said with a concerned tone.

"Anyway, we have to let everyone in the guild know we're safe." Carla stated.

"That's right! So we've just gotta get outside!" Happy agreed with her.

"If we're lucky, this passage will lead us out!" Mirajane said optimistically.

"Let's hope it does. I'm getting sick of this underground place." I complained. It was true we'd been stuck down here for hours already. My legs were feeling tired from all the walking, and I could do with a good meal to restore some of my energy.

"Whatever, let's just keep goin'. I'm curious about this Lucy, too." Natsu said, after which we continued through the large door opening, hoping that this would lead us out of here.

"I'm sorry. This wouldn't have happened if I knew more about the layout here." Yukino apologised to no one in particular.

"Tch, worthless..." I muttered under my breath, speaking to myself in response to her weak excuse. I was still convinced it was a bad idea to have her around. She must've heard me, as she glanced over her shoulder at me. I shot a glare at her when she did.

"Really, what's gotten into you, Roth?" Lucy, who suddenly came walking beside me, said with a tone of reproachal. I didn't think she, as well, would've caught what I said.

"It's fine, Miss Lu–" Yukino tried to tell Lucy, but I interrupted her. "All I'm saying is that this Sabertooth girl is absolutely worthless."

I saw Natsu and the others glancing backwards as well, but it seemed they were going to stay out of it for now. I never meant to attract attention with that first statement of mine, but since it did, I might as well let out the truth. The two girls didn't respond, but Lucy looked in shock back at me. I could tell Yukino was trying to not let it get to her, but her eyes said otherwise.

"Deny it all you want, but she was the only one of her guild to lose in a fight in the tournament. No wonder she got kicked out; why would a guild that only recruits the strong want a weakling like her? She then somehow gets a high-ranked position offered in the royal army, which she gladly accepts, but she can't even find her way out of the castle she now works in. What even _can_ she do? It's a miracle she didn't get her butt kicked by those executioners, or was that because Fairy Tail was there to protect her?" I vented all the frustrations that I had kept inside since the beginning of the tournament. Constantly having to put up with hearing people going on about why Sabertooth's so great, then having our guild be ridiculed by those same people. The Sabertooth members thinking they're so great and all, and trying to make a mockery of us every chance they get. Then, there was the fact they were the ones who put Lucy through all that pain in yesterday's event, and never even apologised for it. I was totally sick of them and anybody who was even was remotely associated with them.

"That's enough!" Lucy exclaimed and slapped me in the face right as I finished my last sentence. "I didn't think you could be this mean, Roth..." She said softly after a short pause, her voice a mix of sadness and disappointment. I rubbed the cheek that was hit... it kind of hurt.

"No. He's absolutely right..." Yukino intervened, a sad tone weaving into her voice. "... I really am a bad luck charm."

"It's... That's not true!" Lucy exclaimed, trying to defend her.

"If it weren't for her, we probably wouldn't be stuck down here." I added to my list of reasons as to why I didn't like her.

"Roth!" Lucy hissed at me.

"I'm sorry." Yukino timidly apologised again with her eyes cast downward.

"Hey! You guys comin', or what!?" Natsu yelled and waved in our direction. He and the others had already gone ahead a bit and were waiting for us to catch up.

Lucy made a dash forward, then turned to Yukino. "Come, Yukino! Let's go!" She said with a friendly smile and extended her hand toward her. Yukino silently glanced at me for a moment, and then ran up to Lucy to join her side. I knew all too well I had hurt her with everything I said, though I didn't regret a single word. In fact, I felt somewhat relieved for having finally been able to release my frustration. Unfortunately, though, we were still stuck in this forsaken dungeon; I truly hoped it wouldn't be long until we would find a way out of here.


	77. Chapter 75 - The Dragons Are Coming

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 75  
THE DRAGONS ARE COMING**

After heading up a long, winding staircase that Natsu had found, we finally made our way out of the dungeon. However, we were now inside the castle, and with how big it was, it surely wouldn't be easy to find an unguarded exit. While the place wasn't that heavily guarded right now, due to the Games still going on, we couldn't afford to be careless either, or else all of our efforts today would be in vain.

"Well, it looks like we ended up in some kind of dining hall." I stated when we entered a fairly large and luxurous room with a long, rectangle-shaped table in the centre with a bunch of chairs neatly placed around it.

"What do we do now? We're totally lost." Lucy said worriedly.

"And we have wounded to take care of." Loke gently put Arcadios down on the soft carpet to give his shoulder some rest while we were staying here. It looked like he was still unconscious after all this time.

"Un-friggin'-believable." Natsu grumbled in reference to our current situation after putting the Lucy from the future down next to Arcadios. She, as well, hadn't woken up yet.

"I just don't have enough knowledge of..." Yukino was going to excuse herself for not being able to be of help again, but then stopped when she saw me.

"We got a lot to tell everyone, so we'd better get out of here soon." Lily stated his thoughts. I agreed, but it was easier said than done. Especially with the other Lucy with us... We needed more information about her regarding Eclipse and why she has come back here from the future.

At that point, it seemed future Lucy finally opened her eyes. "Where am I?" She said like she was in a daze and sat up. Her waking up, immediately caught all of our attention.

"We don't know." Lily answered in short.

"So we're still in the palace..." Future Lucy said after scanning her surroundings, then placed her hand against her forehead as if she was trying to remember something. "According to my memory... after escaping from Hell Palace, we're all captured by imperial soldiers."

"What? After all we went through, only to be captured again?" I said in disbelief.

"I came rushing back here so I could warn us beforehand... but all I can say is, we were unlucky." Lucy continued. "And until that time came, we were in a prison."

"'That time'? You're talking about the reality that you experienced?" Lily inquired.

"What are you talkin' about? Those guys could never capture us!" Natsu grinned.

"We get close to Eclipse while we're on the run." Lucy explained. "Because of that, we can't use our magic and all get thrown into the dungeon."

"Our future selves sure are careless, huh?" Natsu said, slightly amused by the story.

"Uhm, why did you come from the future, Miss Lucy?" Wendy then asked her.

Going by the silence between the question and the answer, I guessed it wasn't easy for her to tell us. "In order to change a terrible future... Despair awaits in the very near future. A swarm of more than ten-thousand dragons will attack this country. This city is burned down. The palace is destroyed. Many lives are lost." She gave us her story in short.

* * *

It sounded unbelievable. How could anything like that just happen? It wasn't something I could accept as the truth... yet at the same time, she didn't sound like she was making up any of it. Those eyes of her, there was no doubt they'd witnessed great sadness. That much I could tell just by looking at her.

" _Dragons!? No! This cannot be!_ "

The voice, seething with fury, yelled inside my head, its reaction to this story was far stronger than any of that of those of us. What was up with that stupid thing; why did it have to start being noisy just now?

"What... the hell... is that!?" Natsu yelled in complete shock. Okay, maybe I was wrong. His reaction was even more over-the-top than the voice's. Though, his brains must be pretty slow if it took him this long to process the information...

"Over ten-thousand dragons... why would that happen?" Mirajane said, looking depressed after hearing all that Lucy had to say.

"Maybe it has something to do with the dragon graveyard?" Wendy threw out a guess.

"I wonder where they'll come from." Our Lucy said.

"Is it even possible for them to be lying in wait without being discovered?" Loke commented.

"Loke's right. Surely, at least some of those ten-thousand dragons should've been sighted by now if they were going to appear in the near future? They can't just come out of nowhere?" I gave my thoughts on the matter.

"This only means one thing! We're going to fight!" Natsu yelled and placed a metal helm over his head that he stole from one of the armour suits in the hall.

"Everyone... You believe me?" Future Lucy said when she saw us all taking her words serious.

"Is it a lie!?" Natsu responded in shock at her reaction.

"No, but... I didn't think anyone would believe something like this." She answered in honesty.

"Why would we doubt your words, Lucy?" Natsu said like he'd never even consider her not telling us the truth. She then smiled for the first time since we had met her.

"Hey, what happened to us in the palace when the dragons came?" Carla asked, but the future Lucy regained that sad look in her eyes upon hearing that question, and looked down without giving us any answer.

"Carla, I'll take a guess." Wendy spoke so softly, she almost whispered. "Maybe we..."

"... d–died?" Natsu finished.

"We... died?" Happy said with a shaky voice, already having tears in his eyes at the thought of such a scenario.

After a silence, Lucy continued to explain everything that had happened. How the dragons invaded Crocus and wiped out almost everyone. She found her way to the Eclipse gate, and managed to activate it by instinct. Even though she had no solution on how to combat the dragons, she had informed the princess and Jellal about all of this.

"I'm really sorry." She apologised to us after she's told us her story. "It's like, why did I come here? Until today, I didn't know what to do, so I just wandered around the city."

"Nah. We'll do somethin'." Natsu assured her with a smile, and then knelt down in front of her, placing his hand on her head, and touched her forehead with his. "Thank you. You're doin' this for our future." Natsu acted in a more serious and mature manner than I'd ever seen him like before. For just a moment, he seemed like a real man... not the cheerful, mischievous boy I was used to seeing him as. His genuine words of gratitude brought her to tears. "I swear we'll change the future." He told her after standing up again.

* * *

After all that, we decided it would be for the best to take a short break and continue to rest our tired legs for a bit before proceeding. In the meantime, Arcadios had woken up, but still appeared weakened from the fighting earlier. It was very quiet... I guessed everyone was still trying to comprehend the nature of the situation we were in. If we failed here, it could lead to the destruction of everything. We had to trust this future Lucy in helping us altering the events in this timeline.

" _How can this happen!?_ "

The voice suddenly screamed inside my head.

" _If dragons were to appear, everything would fall to ruin! You can't allow that to happen!_ "

Me? What did it expect me to do about it? I was just following the group; I didn't know anything about this. I tried to ignore the voice, but it kept on going, repeating the same thing over again, like a child throwing a tantrum, demanding attention from me. It wasn't the calm, mysterious voice I was used to hearing. It sounded scared, angry, frustrated... I stood up and left the room, telling the rest I needed a bit of time alone. Once I finally found a quiet corner, far enough from the room with the others, I tried to speak to the voice.

"Why are you so concerned about our situation?" I asked it. What did it mean to this... voice, whatever it was. I could understand it being worried about the possibility of Lucy telling the truth, but it was way over-reacting to all of this. Then it hit me. "Wait..." I spoke before it replied to my previous question. "Could it be you are... Firaea?" I couldn't believe I hadn't realised it sooner. Since she had been defeated by dragons in the past, it would only be logical for her to be this afraid of them. After all, dragons were perhaps the only beings in this world that could rival the power of that of a demi-god.

" _Are you serious!?_ " She screeched furiously. " _Of course I am! How stupid do you have to be to not have come to that conclusion any sooner!?_ "

I was kind of amused by her response, despite the fact she was lashing out harshly at me. She had tried so hard to appear mysterious, to keep me guessing about her real identity. Now that I thought back of the things she'd said to me in the past, I guessed she really wanted me to find out for myself. But she also must probably have expected me to find out about her a lot faster. Knowing the voice really was Firaea, the demi-god herself, did raise a bunch of new questions in my head.

" _You've never been the world's brightest, Verik, but you sure do disappoint me at times like these._ " She had calmed down quite significantly, but still sounded somewhat stressed. " _Listen closely, you must leave this place as fast you can. If the girl is speaking the truth, you only have several more hours until the dragons arrive._ "

"Stop calling me Verik, will you? As for leaving, you can forget about that. I'm not abandoning my guildmates." I spoke without wavering.

" _No!_ " She screamed, losing her cool again. " _You must live!_ "

"I have no intention on throwing away my life." I replied dryly.

" _Then, you must come! Come to me!_ " She ordered me.

"Are you even listening?" I was starting to lose my patience with her.

" _You are no match before the might of the dragons! Have you not learned from your encounter with Acnologia!?_ "

"I don't care. If Fairy Tail is staying, then so am I." I answered stubbornly.

" _Forget the guild! They will all perish! But I need you to live!_ "

"Why do you need me and what do you want from me?" I still didn't understand a thing as for why this demi-god was speaking to me in my head.

" _I will restore all of your memories. Everything you have experienced in your life... I'm holding it right here with me! If only you'd come to me..._ " She was starting to get desperate.

"That's completely unrelated to what I asked. What could you –" I immediately cut off my sentence, when I suddenly noticed Wendy from the corner of my eye, staring at me from a short distance. How had I not seen her sooner? And more importantly, how much had she heard of my conversation?

"Roth...?" She asked carefully when she saw she had my attention.

"What are you doing here?" I said, my voice reflecting my agitation with the knowledge of Wendy having overheard my talk to the voice in my head.

"I... I was asked to come get you, since we're leaving." She said softly, with a look of guilt on her face and looked down at the floor before her feet.

"Okay. I'm coming." I answered plainly, acting like nothing had happened. She followed closely behind me as we walked back to the rest of the group, but spoke no word to me about what she must've heard. I didn't exactly know what to think of the fact she'd overheard me... From the things I've said, would she even understand what I was talking to or about? Or would she just think I was going slightly insane for seemingly talking to myself? Should I tell her about it once this is all over... or would it be dangerous to get her involved in something I didn't even know anything about myself? So many questions I didn't know how to answer...

* * *

"All right, you're finally here! Let's go, Lucy!" Natsu smirked when he saw Wendy and me joining their group again.

"Right. This way." Future Lucy said and lead us into another long hallway in the castle. It was a wonder to me how she could find her way in her, since it all looked the same to me, but all we could do was trust her in knowing where to go.

But we had only just left and entered a new hallway, when we suddenly ran into a large group of imperial soldiers that came marching our way.

"There they are! The fugitives!" The soldier in the front yelled when he saw us coming in view. "Capture them!"

"The imperial army? They were stationed here!?" Future Lucy said, taken by surprise of seeing them here. "How!?"

"Don't worry! If I can use magic, we won't get caught." Natsu smiled and readied himself for a brawl.

"That's right." Loke also stepped forward, offering his assistance.

"Wait, where did that Sabertooth girl go?" I asked when I looked behind us and came to the realisation she was no longer with our group.

"Mister Arcadios is also gone!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Why would they go off on their own?" Our Lucy questioned.

"I don't care about the knight, but I can't leave Yukino behind." Mira said decidedly, and went the other way. "I'll go look for her!"

"No, Mira!" I yelled, but it was already too late. We shouldn't be splitting up now... just what was that Sabertooth girl up to? Could she have alerted the soldiers that we would be coming this way? That I did not know, but honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if she had been behind this. I cursed myself under my breath for having failed at keeping an eye out on that girl, and then prepared for combat as the group soldiers positioned right in front of us: they didn't look like they'd let us go without a fight.

Natsu, Loke and I simultaneously bolted towards the soldiers and unleashed our magic on them. Without having magic of their own to use, they hardly stood a chance against the three of us. However, they were in great numbers, and each time we knocked out their frontlines, more kept coming in from the back. I had no clue how many soldiers they were willing to throw at us, but I figured it might be for the best to not needlessly use up huge amounts of magic against these guys... mainly in preparation for a worst case scenario. For if we actually were going to end up having to fight real dragons. I couldn't afford myself to be in a weakened state in such a situation. Luckily, my basic Lightning Shock spells, along with Natsu and Loke fighting at my side, did a good enough job at keeping the soldiers at bay for the time being.

A second swarm of soldiers came at us, this time from the other direction, forcing both Lucys, Wendy and Lily into combat. Still, it didn't really matter how many they sent our way; we could keep going like this for a while. However, amongst the new reinforcements was a batallion of soldiers wielding magic staves that proved to be a little more challenging. Their weapons didn't hurt too much, but the impact they made was capable of knocking us backward. That just meant we had to fight them with long-range magic spells.

* * *

When the soldiers fighting us finally were starting to understand they weren't going to be able to stop us, even with the help of the staff users, a bunch of familiar faces showed up and attacked us out of nowhere Though, these weren't the faces we wanted to see in this situation, as they were of the Garou Knights.

"Didn't we already beat these guys!?" Lucy shrieked in surprise when they made their appearance..

"We still have our mission!" The big guy holding the bottle in his mouth answered with a mean grin.

"Jeez, you guys are pesty." Natsu said, not amused by this turn of events.

These were the last guys I wanted to see here. We were in a hurry, and to face a group of strong wizards was the last thing we needed. Without Mirajane, and as much as I hated to admit it, the Sabertooth girl, our group was in worse state than it was back in the caves. I positioned myself closer to Wendy, ready to defend her in case she would be the target of one of the executioners.

"Wooh! Come on! I'll melt you!" The big guy yelled as he launched a sludge attack in Wendy's and my direction.

"Photon Barrier!" I created a dense electric shield in front of us, shielding us from the nasty magic that was coming our way. "Sky Dragon Wing Attack!" Wendy counterattacked from behind the safety of the barrier, firing a volley of razor-sharp winds at our opponent. However, he blocked her attack by making a series of sludge geysers burst from the ground between us.

Weaving between the geysers with Lightning Step dashes, I closed in on the opponent, ready to strike him with my sword. But he must've antipicated an attack like that, as he swiftly stepped aside and then tackled me. Despite his size, he was surprisingly nimble. I rolled over the ground after being hit by him, but quickly got back up, and leaped at him again.

"Huuh! Not so fast!" He slammed one hand onto the ground, and in an instant my movement became really slow. When I looked down, it appeared the floor I was standing on had been turned into some kind of sticky substance.

"No, Roth!" Wendy came at me to try to pull me out of it.

"Don't get...!" I tried to warn her not to get close, but it was already too late, and she, too, had gotten stuck in the goo.

"Hihi, I got you both now!" The executioner smirked and prepared another one of his magic spells. "Melt! Melt! Melt!" He shouted as he hurled a giant ball of sludge at us.

"Ugh, there's only one way out of this..." I muttered and forcefully pulled my feet out of my shoes to jump into the air. I grabbed Wendy, who was frozen with fear, by her arm and pulled her with me out of the way of the spell in the nick of time.

"Aw, man. Those were my favourite shoes, too..." I groaned, saddened by the sight of my pair of shoes disappearing in the pool of goo.

"Oh, no!" Wendy cried when she saw her sandals vanish in the same pool.

"Don't worry. I'll buy you new ones, when all this is over." I said to her and returned my attention to our opponent again. She nodded with a smile, then prepared herself for the next round.

"When this is all over you two will both be dead! Haahaa!" The executioner laughed as he launched several more of his sludge spells at us.

"Sky Dragon... Roar!" Wendy negated his spells with a powerful breath attack that blew him away. When he hit the ground, a moving shadow or something like it spread over his body and slowly began to drag him down into the floor itself.

"Wha–! What is this!?" He yelled in fear, unable to move from his position as he sank lower and lower.

He wasn't the only one affected by this strange shadow. All the soldiers behind him, as well as the other Garou Knights suddenly were caught by this same thing and slowly disappeared into the floor.

"What is this!?" Future Lucy said in shock after the entire army and team of executioners had completely vanished... as if they never existed in the first place. The shadow that took their lives retreated, leaving us standing there, wondering what could have done this.

"What the hell is goin' on!?" Natsu yelled in confusion.

"Why are we safe?" Lily asked a good question. But not one that I could give an answer to. Indeed, it was strange how this shadow conveniently made all of our enemies disappear in a matter of seconds. But could we trust whoever was behind this act?


	78. Chapter 76 - Eclipse

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 76  
ECLIPSE**

From the direction the shadows had retreated, a new person came forward. Half of his hair was white, and the other half was black... and his face, I knew I had seen it somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where from just now.

"The shadows are fanning out to the past or future? Or perhaps to people's hearts?" The stranger said things that didn't make sense to me as he came closer. "This brings back memories, Natsu Dragneel. I've come from the future. I'm Rogue." He stated once he stood before us.

"Rogue? You're Rogue!?" Natsu said in surprise.

Rogue... one of the Dragon Slayers from Sabertooth. Now I recognised him. But how could he come from the future? Shouldn't only Celestial wizards be able to activate the Eclipse gate?

"Why did you come back from the future?" Carla asked him.

"To open the portal." He simply answered. "There are two ways to use Eclipse. One is time travel. The other is as the Eclipse Cannon, an offensive weapon. It's the only way to defeat ten-thousand dragons." He then explained to us.

"Then that makes it easy. You're on our side!" Natsu concluded.

"Yay! We can beat the dragons!" Happy cheered at hearing that news.

"No. It's not that simple." Rogue said, then proceeded to tell us his story. "I come from seven years in the future. Seven years from now, dragons rule the world. Not even ten percent of the current human population has survived. Of course, Eclipse isn't nearly as powerful as it is now. If the dragons aren't stopped here and now, this world will come to and end."

"Then, let's open the portal and blow 'em away! Boom! Easy, right!?" Natsu said, probably way underestimating the situation, putting the solution simple like that.

"However, seven years ago... That is, in the present, someone interfered with the opening of the portal." Rogue continued, ignoring Natsu's silly suggestion.

"Interfered? Why would they do that?" Lucy asked.

"Because of that person, the portal wasn't opened. The Eclipse Cannon that was pointed at the ten-thousand dragons couldn't fire. Someone led the world to destruction. I'm here to eliminate that person." Rogue finished in a cold tone.

"That's barbaric! If you talk to the person about their reasons, maybe they won't interfere at all." Carla argued. That was something I could agree with. If we could avoid any more violence, that would be for the best. Although, we didn't know who this person Rogue was talking about yet, nor did we know the reasons of that person to interfere with the opening of the portal.

"At such a critical junction in time, words cannot prevent actions. Even if I did convince the person now, they would defenitely close the portal. It's already decided." Rogue responded without showing emotion. 

* * *

"I don't really follow you. But who is this person that interferes?" Natsu asked a smart question for once, even though he seemed to have a hard time keeping up with this future Rogue's story.

"You... Lucy Heartfilia!" Rogue roared her name and his answer was followed by a blade of dark magic shooting from his hand, fired directly at our Lucy.

With nothing else standing between Lucy and the blade of darkness, it was going to strike Lucy in her chest. That was, until future Lucy threw herself in front of our Lucy at the very last moment, causing the attack to pierce through her body instead.

Instantly drained of her life force by Rogue's magic, the future Lucy fell onto the ground.

"H–Hey! You!" Our Lucy said in disbelief at what just happened.

"Lucy!" Happy yelled and came running to the lifeless body of the fallen Lucy.

"Hold on!" Lucy knelt beside the other, holding up the head of her future self to try to talk to her.

"I didn't... close the portal..." Future Lucy said.

"I know! I would never do that! But why did you protect me!?"

"You're me in the past... so if you die, I would disappear anyway." She explained. "Dying with myself at my side... It feels weird." She had a smile on her face as she said that, as if she had already accepted her fate.

"It feels weird for me, too! Don't die!" Lucy said desperately.

"H–Hey, what about healing magic?" Lily threw out a suggestion, but it'd probably be too late for that at this point. Even Wendy knew it would be no use; she stood there with both her hands over her mouth, looking like she could break out in tears at any moment at watching all of this happen.

"I never thought I would be able to see any of you again... but I did, one more time. That alone... makes me happy..." Future Lucy said with true honesty, still smiling.

"Lucy... No! Don't die!" Happy told her and moved closer to her.

"I'm not... from this age... No. I'm not from this world." She tried to tell Happy it was okay, and put her hand to the side of his head. "The me of this world... will live on with her comrades. Don't be sad."

"I am sad!" Happy cried and had his eyes overflowing with tears. He had both his paws wrapped tightly around her arm. "I don't care what world you're from! I don't care what anyone says! Lucy is Lucy! You're my friend! Of course I'm sad!"

She held the crying Happy with her one hand for a moment, then turned to her other self. "Hey, show me your guild mark." She asked as a last request. Our Lucy held up her hand with the insignia of the guild on it and showed it to her. She reached her hand out to it to feel it, with tears coming from her eyes as she did.

"You... Your right hand..." Our Lucy finally noticed. The Lucy from the future no longer had a right hand.

"I wanted to... have more... adventures..." Those were here last words before losing the last of her life and closing her eyes for good.

"She didn't know that she closed the portal." Rogue said right after that.

"The hell with the portal! I would never have done that! But still, you..." Lucy spoke to him with resentment in her voice.

"That's now. But you'll close the portal several hours from now." Rogue said stubbornly, not willing to believe a word of what Lucy was saying.

"I'm not gonna close the damn portal!" She said, defending herself. "You talk all this nonsense! What are you after!?"

"The portal will be closed. It's already decided." He began to lose his patience talking to her. "As long as you're alive..."

"The future me said she wouldn't close it. I believe myself!" Lucy exclaimed with confidence.

"There is no truth in your words! Everything is dictated by destiny!" Rogue replied, and created dark magic, similar to the one he used to kill the other Lucy with.

"I'll burn your destiny to ash!" Natsu retaliated furiously. He'd been quiet all this time, but I had seen the look on his face of pain and sadness when Lucy died. Right now, he'd unleash those feelings to fight against this future Rogue. He attacked Rogue with a wild, blazing punch. Despite blocking his hit, he was still knocked back by the sheer power of the impact. "I won't let anyone steal Lucy's future!" He growled.

"Lucy, get outta here." Natsu said to her, meaning to take future Rogue on on his own.

"But..." Lucy said.

"Let's leave this to Natsu." Loke spoke to her, and helped her get up.

"Since you're the one being targeted, it's best to get you away from him." I told her. She nodded, and ran in the other direction with the rest of us, leaving behind Natsu, Rogue and the lifeless body of future Lucy. 

* * *

" _What do you think you're doing, Verik? Kill that girl!_ " Firaea commanded me with booming voice. " _If you let her live, the dragons will destroy all!_ "

"Ugh... not now." I muttered in frustration, holding one head against my forehead.

"Roth?" Wendy had noticed.

"I don't have time to explain now. Just stay with the others." I replied and stopped running to cast Prequip. I braced myself for the pain that was to come, and then proceeded to strike my own leg with the blade of my sword. The intense pain from the deep cut caused me to lose my balance and I fell to the ground. This was the best I could do in case Firaea would try to take over my body, like she had done during my tournament match.

"No, Roth!" Wendy immediately came at me, trying to use her healing magic.

"What are you doing?" I tried to push her away from me. "Didn't I tell you to go with Lucy?"

"I don't understand... Why are you doing this?" She sounded like she was on the verge of crying. "Please, at least let me heal you."

"Fine..." I sighed after a moment, but also glad that she was here to do that for me. There was now enough distance between me and Lucy that, even if Firaea were to take control of me, she wouldn't be able to catch up so easily. And we'd probably be getting closer to Eclipse, where she won't be able to make use of my powers at all.

"Is it because of what's in your head?" Wendy softly asked while she let her magic heal my wound.

"Yes..." I answered as there was no point in trying to hide it from her any longer.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me... There, it's all healed now." She smiled and stood up again once she was finished.

"Thanks, Wendy. I really mean it." I patted her on the head, thankful to her for patching me up, as well as for not pushing me to talk about the voice. We then continued our way through the corridor.

" _Are you stupid? Did you believe I could control you while you were in good shape? If anything, you made yourself more vulnerable to me when you injured yourself._ " Firaea explained to me as I ran to catch with the others. I didn't want to respond to her with Wendy here with me, but knowing she wasn't able to control me so easily was good to know, for sure.

Once we made it outside, we were in a large open space, which I strangely enough recognised; this was were the Eclipse gate was located. And going by the large crowd of soldiers gathered in front of it, it seemed like something big was about to happen.

"Psst! Over here!" Lucy said from behind a row of bushes, where she sat with the others, and waved at us. We carefully made our way to her hiding spot and joined the group again.

"What happened to you guys?" She asked.

"..." I had nothing in my head that I could use as an excuse.

"Roth required healing, as his leg got injured in battle earlier." Wendy made up an answer on the spot when she noticed I couldn't come up with anything.

"Right. Well, it looks like they are about to open the Eclipse gate." Lucy then said, and focused her attention back onto the gate, which was having its seals unlocked one by one as it was made to open.

"Huh? Loke isn't here?" Happy said and looked around.

"That's because magic doesn't work near the portal." Lily briefly explained.

"Be careful with your magic here. Using it will result in losing all of your energy." I said, just to remind everyone. 

* * *

"There's no need to hide. Come out." A fully armoured knight faced us as he spoke. I didn't think anyone had seen us when we moved to our hiding place, but I guessed I was wrong about that. Although, wasn't that Arcadios's voice... In which case, we might be okay. Although next to him stood the princess... the one who'd thrown us into Hell Palace. I wasn't sure what to make of this.

"We didn't do anything wrong!" Happy yelled at him, being the first to leave the bushes.

He was ignored, and we were all brought forward by a group of soldiers and put in front of the princess. Without our magic to use, there was no way for us to fight back against this many of them. Would she order them to kill us here? I was thinking of ways to escape this mess, but with the siphoning powers of Eclipse in effect here, there was nothing I could do.

"You have my deepest apologies." The princess spoke all of a sudden. What was this about? I didn't understand a thing about situation anymore... What could have happened that made her change her mind about treating us as criminals and wanting us dead?

"Owing to our current emergency situation, I'll give you a formal apology at a later date. Also, congratulations on winning the Grand Magic Games."

"We won!?" Happy exclaimed happily. That was great news, indeed. To think those five managed to beat up all the other teams. I couldn't wait to hear Gajeel's story about his fights in the final round.

"Why are you opening the portal? The dragons aren't here yet!" Lucy then asked the princess.

"Come to think of it, where's the you that came from the future?" Arcadios asked, not bothering to answer her question. The mention of future Lucy all brought back that fresh, painful memory from earlier.

"She was murdered." Lily spoke after a silence. "By another man who came from the future."

This news seemed to surprise both Arcadios and the princess.

"That man said something." Lucy then said. "He said the Eclipse Cannon didn't fire because I interfered with the portal opening."

"Will you?" The princess asked her.

"Of course not!" Lucy said in all honesty, and shook her head. "I'm just wondering why you're opening the portal when the dragons aren't here."

She did raise a valid point. With it being this close to midnight, the time the dragons are supposed to arrive, the first ones should be coming in sight any second now. Yet the skies remained clear as we continued to stand and talk here.

"That's simple. It takes time before it can fire." The princess answered. "We wouldn't have time if we waited for the dragons to appear."

A minute or so passed, and the large mechanism on the Eclipse gate was finally done. As the gate slowly opened, a bright, shining light could be seen from behind the doors. Waves of powerful magic radiated from it, becoming increasingly more powerful, the further the gate opened up. I wondered if this kind of magic would be enough to eliminate those ten-thousand dragons at once. 

* * *

Suddenly, Lucy stepped forward.

"Lucy?" Wendy called her, but Lucy didn't respond. She drew nearer to the gate that was still not fully opened, and kept on gazing at it as if she was in some kind of trance. What was she doing? Was this what the future Rogue talked about? And more importantly, should I try to stop her?

"I need to close the portal now!" Lucy spoke. "Close the portal! Now! You mustn't open it!" She then exclaimed desperately. It seemed she was suddenly back to her old self again, but why was she so set on closing the portal all of a sudden?

"We can't! This is our only weapon against the dragon swarm!" The princess halted her. "If we close the portal now, we won't be able to fire the Eclipse Cannon!"

"There is no Eclipse Cannon!" Lucy responded, then pointed at the gate. "That's a portal! A portal that's connected to the time stream!"

"And by releasing its accumulated magic power, we can fire the Eclipse Cannon." The princess tried to explain to Lucy.

"You're wrong! That's no weapon!" Lucy warned her. "That portal is connected to four-hundred years in the past!" As she finished that sentence, the ground shook and a crashing sound came from inside of the Eclipse gate.

"What's this?" I asked in response to the tremors. "Is this the weapon that's supposed to be used against the dragons?"

" _You...! I can't believe this! You must leave!_ " Firaea panicked.

"Leave!? I don't even understand what –" I hastily shut my mouth when I realised I was openly responding to the voice.

"What is it, Roth?" Wendy asked me as she must've heard me.

"I... I have a bad feeling about this." Was the best response I could give her at this time. I wasn't sure what was going on with this Eclipse gate, but going by Firaea's reaction, it couldn't be anything good.

"Oh, no!" Happy said in shock when we got the first glimpse of what was coming through the portal. A giant dragon's head came through the portal, followed by the rest of its humongous body, causing the ground to shake with every step it took. It howled with the force of a hurricane, blowing the soldiers on the frontlines away. I held Wendy, who was frozen in fear, close to me with one arm to protect her, but even I could hardly keep standing up against the force of its roar.

No way... Wasn't the portal supposed to be used to protect us against the dragons? Or... had we been tricked into believing just that? What would happen now?

The dragon smashed one foot onto the ground, sending forth a powerful shockwave that tore through the courtyard, and even beyond that through the city, destroying everything in its path.

But that was not all... A second dragon emerged from the portal. And then a third, all covered in flames, came out of it. This was getting way out of control.

" _Leave this place! You must live!_ " Firaea's voice went off like an explosion, even drowning out the sound the dragons were making as they entered our world. In a reflex I put my hands over my ears, letting Wendy free, but of course it had no effect as the voice came from inside my head...

"Shut up, already!" I furiously yelled back at Firaea, completely ignoring the fact I wasn't alone. Her shouting in my head was only making things worse for me, though she went quiet after that. Being able to focus on my surroundings again, I saw Lucy was struggling with the closing of the portal, while more dragons continued to appear from it. The ones that had come through first had already taken off and landed elsewhere in the city. I sure hoped the citizens were evacuated from the area, or this whole thing would result in a massacre. Meanwhile, I had no idea what I was supposed to do amidst all the chaos... Lucy was the only one supposed to be able to close the gate, and I possessed no form of magic that could help me in combat against the dragons. For now, all I could do was watch everything happen before my eyes.


	79. Chapter 77 - Restore The Present

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 77  
RESTORE THE PRESENT**

"Dragons are still pouring out of the portal!" Lily said in a state of fear.

"Yeah... but Lucy seems to lack the strength to close the gate with her current power." I stated as I observed the situation. Was there no way any of us could help her?

"I can help!" A voice exclaimed from a distance. It was Yukino with Mirajane, coming in our direction. Right, wasn't Yukino a Celestial wizard, like Lucy? Then, maybe the two of them could possibly close the gate together. This Sabertooth girl... she might be useful for something after all.

"Mira!" Wendy said in delight when she saw her return after all this time.

"Miss Lucy! Please take out the twelve Gold Keys!" Yukino said as she came running to her. "We'll combine them with mine, and use twelve Keys to seal the portal!"

The two girls drew all the Gold Keys they possessed, twelve in total, activating them all at once. The keys flew up into the air, forming a circle formation and began to brightly glow with a golden light. Lucy and Yukino went on their knees, clasping each other's hands, and chanted some kind of spell together. "Celestial Spirits of the twelve Gold Keys... lend us the power to seal away the evil! Open... twelve gates!" The keys above them responded to the incantation, and a beam of gold light shot out from the formation, surrounding the two girls. "Zodiac!" With that, they finished the summoning of power from the twelve Gold Keys. A burst of magic energy came forth from the light, and one by one, all of the Celestial Spirits began to appear.

After they'd all been summoned, they flew up towards the Eclipse gate and proceeded to attempt to close it with all their might. Just in time, too, as another dragon was about to emergy from the portal, but the power of the Celestial Spirits was enough to fully seal it before it could enter our world. With the gate shut again, the two Celestial wizards let out deep sighs of relief. Their powers had helped us prevent this disaster from escalating any further.

Cheers came from the crowd of soldiers that were still around, but it was still too early to celebrate. At least seven dragons had come through the portal and were circling over the city and its castle.

"You foiled my plan, Lucy and Yukino." Future Rogue suddenly made his appearance. "But seven dragons are still plenty." Didn't Natsu say he'd deal with him? That couldn't mean Natsu actually lost against him, could it?

"What happened to Natsu?" Lucy asked in surprise at seeing Rogue again.

"To be honest, I couldn't control ten-thousand of them." Rogue continued, ignoring Lucy's question.

"He's the one who told me about the future." The princess said.

"So, you're the one who tricked everyone in using Eclipse?" I asked. "What could you possibly gain from doing this?"

Once again, he didn't bother to respond to us. He merely gave us a sinister smile, then spread his arms. "Listen to me well, you ignorant peasants!" He exclaimed to make sure everyone around could hear him. "I'm here to tell you that the world you know is coming to an end. The age of dragons is upon us!"

" _N–No! He... He was behind this all!?_ " Firaea said in bewilderment at hearing future Rogue's true intentions. So, it seemed even demi-gods can be tricked into believing lies... That's certainly interesting to know.

"To begin, slaughter all the wizards in this city." Following his orders, the dragons spread out and landed in different sections of the city.

"The dragons are obeying him!?" Carla stated in shock at seeing the dragons blindly listen to him.

"The Secret Art of controlling dragons... Dragon Manipulation Magic." Rogue explained to us. One dragon landed behind him, opening its palm to let Rogue onto it, and took off into the skies. 

* * *

Following all that, a jade green dragon came our way, drooling at the sight of so many tiny humans to eat. Wait, wasn't that the dragon we talked to before... Zirconis was its name? I thought I'd recognise that face. Then, I also remembered how he told us he was on the side of the dragons during that war he mentioned in his story. With the soldiers unable to defend themselves against a being this big, it would be up to us wizards to protect them. Not that I'd be able to do much against it either, but I might at least be able to distract it long enough for them to get away.

Stepping forward to confront the dragon, I Prequipped myself and drew my sword. "You guys... Princess. Get out of here!" I said to the soldiers, and, as much as I despised the princess for throwing us into that dungeon, this wasn't the time for such petty thoughts.

"No, Roth! This is mine to deal with." Wendy suddenly stepped in front of me, looking the dragon in the eyes. "This is what my magic is for! This is what I've been trained for!" Despite being intimidated by its sheer size, she was determined in taking up her role as Dragon Slayer wizard.

"Oh ho ho! Two tiny humans trying to stop me? How very amusing!" The dragon laughed at us "No, just the two of you won't fill my stomach. I was thinking of eating all of you!" Then, without warning, the dragon unleashed a powerful stream of magic from its mouth. I dropped myself onto the ground, and took down Wendy too in an attempt to protect her from its attack. A wave of intense heat scorched the entire plaza, as the dragon breathed magic in our direction.

Once it was finally over, I got up on my feet again and looked over my shoulder behind us, only to see that the entire royal army had been completely stripped of their armour and clothes and ran away in embarassment.

"You humans taste delicious, but your clothes taste foul. That's why I made them disappear." The dragon explained to us for no reason, but at least it was better than if he'd killed them all. "Come to think of it, men taste disgusting." It then said, stroking its chin in thought. "Women. I'll eat the women." It pointed at Lucy, who just stood there watching everything happen, and then used its heat rays to burn away all of her clothes.

"Aaah!" She shrieked in total shock and covered her bare chest with her arms. So, that's what Lucy without clothes on looks – But at that same moment, Wendy threw herself at me and gave me a forceful hug, demanding my full attention. "Don't look, Mister Roth!" She shouted in desperation in an attempt to avert my gaze.

"Let's not, okay?" Mirajane stepped in between me and Lucy to act as a second shield, and gave me her sweetest smile.

"Y–Yeah. You're right." I said, coming back to my senses. "We're here to defeat this enemy." I turned my attention back onto the dragon that was just grinning at us. But before we could even prepare ourselves for an attack, it grabbed the still naked Lucy with its huge claws and held her up in front of its face so that it could have a closer look at her.

"N–No! At least give me clothes!" Lucy yelled from her helpless position.

"You look dee–licious." The dragon said and proceeded to sniff at her.

At this point, Wendy must have had enough of the dragon's antics, as she surrounded herself with a green glow. "Arms! Armour! Vernier!" She casted all three of her enchantments simultaneously to boost her own powers. "I will defeat you!" She spoke to the dragon with burning determination.

"Huh? Let's see you try!" The dragon roared and then flew up into the sky, still holding Lucy in its claws.

Without waiting for anyone, Wendy went after him, using her winged companion. 

* * *

"You're ready, Roth?" Mirajane asked me after she transformed into her Satan Soul form. I nodded and gestured Lily I needed his help.

"Fighting that big dragon, huh?" Lily said as he came up to me and looked up at the dragon flying high above us.

"Yes. I can't let Wendy and Mirajane do this on their own." I said. I didn't know exactly how effective non-Dragon Slayer magic would be against it, but the only way to find out was by fighting it. Using his magic, Lily conjured a pair of wings and then grabbed my back to fly me up where my comrades and the enemy were at. Just as I arrived, Wendy was already attacking the dragon with her Dragon Slayer magic, though it didn't seem to do much damage. Annoyed by her attack, the dragon flew at her and tried to strike her with its arms. While swiping its claws at Wendy, it let go of Lucy, sending her flying in some random direction.

"I'll save Lucy!" Happy exclaimed and flew off after her.

"We need to distract it so it'll stop attacking Wendy." Mirajane said to me the moment I arrived next to her. Carla was a nimble flyer, and it was a good thing Wendy was so small, making it hard for the dragon to catch her, but they wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. Besides, they had no chance of getting their Dragon Slayer spells off like this. We'd somehow have to draw that thing's attention to give Wendy an opening to strike it when it's not paying attention to her.

I nodded and charged my sword with Lightning magic. "Lightning Shock!" A strong bolt of lightning was sent at the dragon's scaled back, leaving a small explosion upon impact, but it hardly seemed to be bothered by it. Meanwhile, Mirajane circled around it, and then closed in to attack vulnerable looking spots using close combat techniques combined with some sort of dark magic.

The dragon was finally beginning to notice us, and tried to go after Mirajane this time, attacking her with a heat breath attack, which she managed to avoid in time. Using this opportunity, I aimed a Focused Strike spell at its head.

"Go get him, Wendy! We'll be your back-up!" Mirajane said to her as she continued to draw the dragon's attention by staying close to it.

"You got it." Wendy nodded and created some distance between her and our enemy. I cut off the magic to the beam of my spell, as it hardly seemed to do any damage to the dragon's tough skin. Perhaps I would be better off supporting Wendy... As I sensed her gathering her magic power for one of her Dragon Slayer spells, I would try to provide her with more energy. It had been a while since I'd used this one, and it had never been easy for me to use an Air magic spell, as user of primary Lightning magic; I prayed it wouldn't fail me now.

"Tide of the arcane spirits that flow through the heavens!" Despite the chaotic situation, I was able to concentrate myself well, and quickly established a connection with Wendy's energy. "Invoke!"

"Sky Dragon… Roar!"

It seemed I'd been just in time with my support spell, having sent her a significant portion of my magic energy should make a difference. A mighty burst of wind was shot from Wendy's mouth and struck the dragon while it had been focused on battling with Mirajane, who didn't seem like she was having an easy time. Wendy kept up her powerful breath attack for several more moments before finally cutting it off. But when the light of her attack faded, the dragon looked as if it hadn't been affected by her spell whatsoever.

She gasped when she saw her attack had done nothing. "No…! I'm using Dragon Slayer magic… How can this be?"

The dragon grinned at her for a moment, and then made a charge in her direction. This wasn't good, it was coming at her way too fast. Without wasting more time thinking, I Lightning Stepped in front of Wendy, pushing her backwards, and held up my sword in a defensive position to defend against the dragon's attack. Its claws struck with unparalleled power, breaking through my Lightning Edge as if it was nothing. I crashed into the ground with such force, a small crater was formed by the impact. Luckily, I had managed to cast a protective shield of lightning particles to soften the blow a little, but that attack seriously hurt.

Not moments thereafter, both Mirajane and Wendy, as well as Lily, landed next to me. "What were you thinking, letting go of me at such an altitude?" Lily said to me.

"You can still fight, Roth?" Mirajane asked without keeping her eyes off the dragon that remained high up in the air.

"I… I'm fine." I groaned, and tried to get up, but the best I could manage was get myself on my knees. My legs were too weak to help me stand up after a blow like that.

"But our attacks do nothing!" Wendy said worriedly. "How can we win?"

That was a valid question. While this dragon certainly wasn't as powerful as the one we'd faced on Tenrou Island, it was still far too tough for us to even damage it at all. If even Wendy's Dragon Slayer magic proved to be ineffective against it, how were supposed to fight against it? 

* * *

"Looks like you could use some help." A familiar voice said from behind. Was that Laxus?

"Natsu sent us here, as he was worried about you, Wendy." Freed elaborated. "As you know, Laxus, too, is a Dragon Slayer. Let us hope his power will be enough to defeat this dragon with."

The dragon landed in front of us and observed our fresh reinforcements as it listened to us talking. I guessed we were lucky this one wasn't very aggressive, having this small break from the action would help me regenerate some of the magic I'd spent. And having Laxus on our side might help… He was probably stronger than even Mirajane, plus, he has Dragon Slayer abilities. But I didn't want to exactly sit still and let him do all the work, either.

"If I gave you permission to take control over my body, would you be able to help us defeat this dragon?" I muttered under my breath to the voice, hoping the others who were focused on the dragon again wouldn't hear me. "… Like that time you did with my battle against Bacchus."

" _If you'd let me, I would get you away from these dragons as far as I could make you go._ " Firaea answered plainly. She sounded surprisingly calm, all things considered. She must've accepted the situation for what it is, and realised that cooperating with me for the time being would raise my chances for survival.

"So there'd be nothing you could do for me?" I asked one more time for her help, but it looked like I was out of luck.

" _The only thing I can do is use the magic power you, yourself possess. When controlling you, I'm merely using what's yours. But no matter what I'd make you throw at this dragon, it wouldn't make any difference._ " Firaea explained.

"Well, thanks for that. At least now I know how weak I am." I dryly replied. I was already well aware of my lack of power against this kind of foe, but it still wasn't nice hearing it somebody say it to me like that.

" _On the subject of weak... Your little guild friends who call themselves Dragon Slayers aren't much better._ " Firaea then continued. " _Their powers are far underdeveloped. If you value their lives, why don't you tell them to run?_ "

"That may be true… but I can't do that. Even if there's nothing that I can do for them." I sighed, getting bored of this conversation that wasn't going anywhere.

It was a good thing I wrapped up my chat at that moment, as Wendy suddenly came in my direction.

"Let me take care of your wounds, Roth." She said as she knelt before me. She was panting heavily, she must be exhausted after casting so many powerful Dragon Slayer spells.

"But…" I tried to interrupt her.

"Laxus is taking over… Don't worry about me." She tried to force a smile, though I could tell she was tired and wounded. Looking behind Wendy, I saw Laxus making a stand against the dragon, enveloping its body with electric sparks, but it seemed even he was having a hard time.

"Thanks, Wendy. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be of much use in this fight." I'd wanted to tell her to conserve her own magic. Although knowing her, she would've healed me regardless, whether or not I'd told her.

"You mustn't give up, Roth." Wendy said softly. "The Roth I know wouldn't give up this easily."

"Huh?" Was all I could utter at her response.

"It's related to that thing only you can hear, isn't it?" She said with a gloomy look on her face. "What is it doing to you, Roth?"

"…" I didn't know how to respond to that. Though, I did understand what she meant now. With having used only a small portion of my magic against the dragon yet, I'd already given up on fighting against it… only because Firaea had called me too weak. But, what did she know? She was only after getting me out of here, even if that meant I had to abandon all my comrades.

"Yeah…" I finally said after a silence, as it seemed Wendy was waiting for me to give her a proper response. "But I'm fine now, thanks to you. I'll go help out Laxus and Mira. You stay back for a while to regain your magic, got that?" I told her as I stood up. She silently nodded, and stepped aside to let me pass.

Collecting a large amount of magic power, I raised my hand and created a large V-shaped boomerang, at least twice the size of myself. "Advanced Lightning Technique! Blitzerang!" Extending my hand holding the boomerang crackling with electricity backwards, I prepared to make a pitch at the dragon.

Even with Laxus keeping the dragon in place, it was still moving about wildly, making it hard to ensure I'd be able to hit it properly with my technique. Then, all of a sudden, a vision of some sorts appeared in my head. As soon as it had come, it was gone… What was that all about? For some reason, I knew that if I were to wait any longer, my technique was going to miss its target. That meant the time to throw it was now.

With a huge swing, I threw the charged Blitzerang at the dragon. It spun wildly, and I had to manually alter its course slightly to make it fly just over Laxus's head. Like a sawblade, it sheared across the scaled skin of the dragon, leaving a chain of explosions as it flew by. Just as it had passed the dragon, I made it return, this time cutting across its other side.

"Laxus, catch!" I yelled as it neared him again.

"Huh?" Laxus said in surprise when he saw my Blitzerang flying straight at him as it returned, but he held up one of his hands, ready to grab it. He was surrounded by a golden light the moment he came into contact with my spell, and he immediately used the extra power boost to intensify the electric aura surrounding himself.

"Heh. After absorbing all this lightning magic, I feel re-energised." Laxus smirked and launched himself at the dragon. Unfortunately, it was hard to say if my spell had actually done any real damage to it, but if it could help out Laxus, then that would be good enough. 

* * *

But his battle had only just begun, when the dragon's body suddenly began to glow with a golden light. Laxus backed off, and even the dragon ceased attacking, as it looked in wonder at what was happening.

"What is this!?" It growled in confusion at this turn of events. "Humans did this!? Lowly humans did this!?" It then stomped the ground with its mighty feet, the shockwaves made by the forceful impact knocking us back. What was going on? Did this light meant the dragon was going to disappear from this world…?

Suddenly, the princess showed up and approached the glowing dragon. "I'm the one who constructed the time portal." Her words aimed at the dragon before her. "I disrupted the natural flow of your time stream. You, who live four-hundred years in the past… and we, who live in the present… have no real reason to fight. I perverted nature."

"Who are you, wench?" The dragon asked.

"Hisui E. Fiore."

"Hisui?"

"That's right. Hisui, or jade, the same colour as your body." She responded.

"The same, you say?" The dragon kept staring at her for a while, looking like he was unsure what to think of this.

"Jade dragon…" The princess called him.

"Jade dragon… I kind of like the way that sounds." It stroked its chin as it spoke, then turned completely gold by the light. "Wait a second! Dammit! I fell for it! I'm…" It was unable to finish what it was saying as its body changed into a glowing orb of light, growing smaller until it disappeared completely.

An immense silence fell over the plaza were we had fought against the dragon after it vanished in a golden light. Looking over the rest of the city, smoke clouds caused by the damage of the rampaging dragons and the wizards who fought them were rising up from multiple locations, but no dragons could be seen or heard anymore. Did that mean they'd all disappeared?

"The dragons. They're gone?" Laxus asked the princess who still stood there.

"Your friend, Natsu, he succeeded in breaking the Eclipse gate." She said. "By removing the portal, the dragons were made to return to their own timeline again."

"Go figure. Having us beat up all these dragons when all we had to do was destroy the gate from which they came." Laxus grumbled.

"We didn't exactly beat them up." I grinned. "But I'm impressed you managed to hold off that one for as long as you did."

"You may be right, rookie." Laxus said. He could drop the rookie, though. With being member of the guild for over half a year now, how could I still be considered a rookie? I felt like saying something about it, but he continued before I could. "We, Dragon Slayers, what good are we when none of us actually managed to slay one of the damn things."

"Don't feel bad about yourself, Mister Laxus… You were awesome!" Wendy said with a big smile. "And so were you, Miss Mira and Roth!"

"Thanks, Wendy, but I was even less effective than Laxus and you were." Mirajane, back in her normal form again, said with modesty.

"You all did your best, that's what matters." Lily suddenly joined the chat.

"I suppose that's something we can all agree on." Mirajane smiled. "In any case, let's head back to Eclipse, or what's left of it."

We all did our best, huh. That wasn't something I could accept, not when I knew I could've done much more. Instead of helping my comrades, I'd wasted my time on a pointless conversation with the voice of that demi-god in my head, and even let her rob me of my courage to keep on fighting. This voice was becoming a serious problem. It wasn't something I could keep on ignoring forever. When I get back home, I'll start looking into ways to deal with it, I thought to myself as I walked back to the castle.


	80. Chapter 78 - Calm After The Storm

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 78  
CALM AFTER THE STORM**

The very next day, all of the guilds that participated in the main event of the Grand Magic Games were invited for a grand banquet at the palace to celebrate the ending of the festival, as well as the victory over the dragon invasion. Despite the significant damage done to the city, there had been few to no casualties during the attack and people had already started working on repairing all the buildings that were destroyed during the attack, with soldiers helping out wherever they were needed the most.

The room in which the banquet was held was huge, but it had to be with the number of guests invited. Before it started, we were provided with a suit from the royal wardrobe, which I didn't feel particularly comfortable with wearing. I wasn't used to anything like this, and it all seemed a bit stiff compared to the loose, casual clothing I normally wore. But I felt even less comfortable when I saw the number of people stuffed inside the room for the banquet. I'd never liked crowds, so the idea of being in a room with this many people wasn't very appealing.

Still, it was all part of the Grand Magic Games, which I agreed to participate in, so I guessed had somewhat of an obligation to attend to this thing. I sighed upon entering the room and glanced around. Many familiar faces, including a bunch from my own guild. I also recognised most of the faces of those who competed in the Games from the other guilds, including all those from Sabertooth. Well, I'd make sure to keep my distance from those…

"Nice timing, Roth. Mind if I hide here for a moment?" Gray suddenly appeared and positioned himself behind my back.

"You're trying to hide from something?" I asked in confusion and faced him.

Gray sighed. "Y'know. That crazy woman won't leave me alone, as always." Referring to Juvia, of course.

"Hm, yeah, I could see that being a problem." I said as I thought about how tough it must be for him to be stalked by Juvia all day and night.

"But enough about that. I've been meaning to thank you for getting Lucy out of that cell." He changed the subject.

"I just tagged along. In the end, it had been Natsu who did most of the work." I replied, knowing that I hadn't really played that big of a role in yesterday's events. I just did what any member of the guild would have done.

"Speaking of Natsu, where is that freak hanging out, anyway?" Gray said as he glanced around, scanning the crowd.

"Good question. With how peaceful things are in here, you'd think he's not even attending…" I said and wondered where he could have gone off to.

"Well, I should probably take this opportunity to get some of the food off the other tables before that idiot gets here and takes it all for himself." Gray muttered. "Seeya later, Roth." With that, he walked off.

It probably wasn't a bad idea to go eat and drink some myself, as I was getting pretty hungry. The quality of the food was extraordinary, and probably tasted better than anything I'd ever had before, and there were so many different things to choose from, too. After filling up my stomach, I sat on one of the many benches lined along the walls and observed the other guests for a while. Many of them seemed to be talking about the events of yesterday and I caught up snippets of the final battle of the Grand Magic Games. From what I gathered, it didn't seem like Fairy Tail's victory had come easy.

I finally decided to leave when I saw the group from Quatro Cerberus moving closer in my direction, causing a ruckus as they had been drinking a little too much alcoholic drinks. I didn't really want to get caught up in any of that, nor did I want to get into a potential chat with Bacchus about our match in the tournament. 

* * *

I left the room and went into one of the empty, quiet corridors nearby, with massive windows that showed an impressive panorama over the city and starry night sky. Being reminded of my fight against Bacchus made me feel pathetic about myself. I hadn't been able to do anything against him, and yet I somehow managed to win. After all the training I'd done, I hadn't even managed to land a single clean hit on my opponent without the help of that stupid voice. Perhaps I wasn't as strong as I'd thought, or hoped to be. Or had I simply been unlucky with my opponent, I wondered.

"Hi, Roth." Levy said to me as she stood next to me. I hadn't noticed her presence at all.

"Yo. What's up?" I casually replied.

"Nothing. I was about to head back to my room and saw you standing here all by yourself. You're okay?" She said as she looked up at the stars through the large window in front of us.

"To your room, this early? But the evening has only just begun… I should be the one asking if you're okay." I said, wondering what made her leave the party so soon.

"I am, don't worry about me." She said with a soft smile.

"If you say so."

There was a moment of silence before Levy spoke up again. "Have you found out anything more about that voice…?"

"Hm…" I was pondering whether or not I should tell her what happened. "Not really." I finally replied, deciding to keep it to myself for the time being. If at all possible, I wanted to avoid getting her or the other guild members dragged into this.

"I see." She answered, and so, we continued to gaze at the stars in silence for a while before she would finally leave. "I'd love to stay a little longer, but I think I'll be going to my room for a while. I'll probably be back at the party later tonight, so I hope to see you there again." She waved good-bye at me as she left.

"Okay, see you later." I said, even though I had no plans on going back there.

Only several minutes had passed since Levy had left to her room, when I saw someone else coming in my direction. Gajeel walked past me without saying a word; I wondered if he was tired of the party, too.

"Not even a greeting?" I said to his back after he had passed me.

"Oh. It's you. You're so tiny, I hadn't even seen you, geehee." He joked at me as he turned to face me.

"What's that? I'm pretty sure we're about equal in height." I said, smiling at his dumb excuse for not noticing me sooner. "So, what brought you here? Tired of the party already?"

"None of your business." He groaned. "By the way, you seen that shrimp anywhere?"

"Shrimp? I don't know what you're talking about, Gajeel. Throw me a name?" I knew full well he was talking about Levy, but it was more fun this way.

"Guh, never mind." He said, unwilling to play my game.

"Anyway, if you were looking for Levy, she said she'd be in her room for a while."

"Thanks… I guess." He grumbled as he walked off.

"One more thing." I said, making him stop in his tracks before he could disappear behind the corner. "Let's have a duel some time when we're back in Magnolia, okay?"

"Geehee, sure." With that, he left.

I stayed in that same corridor, watching the many lights in the city slowly increase in number as time went on, when suddenly the promise I'd made to Wendy popped up in my head. I was getting tired of standing around, doing nothing anyway, and since it was still fairly early into the evening, there might still be some stores open at this time. 

* * *

After changing back into my own set of clothes again, which were lacking a pair of shoes after that second fight with the Garou Knights, I went onto the streets barefooted. Luckily, it was pretty warm around this time of the year, so I didn't have to worry about getting my feet cold. As I walked through the streets of the city, I saw many people still working on repairs. A few of them recognised my face from the Games, or noticed the guild emblem on my hand, and waved at me as I passed by. It felt a bit strange to be greeted by complete strangers, although It wasn't something I was completely unfamiliar with either, as it was the same back in Magnolia, at least before our seven year long disappearance.

After some time looking around, I had managed to find a shoe store that was still open and spent most of my remaining money on a pair of shoes for myself and sandals for Wendy. I wasn't entirely sure on the size of her feet, but I hoped the ones I picked would be fine. I was shocked at how expensive everything was in a big city like this, but the quality made more than up to for it. And it wasn't like money was going to be an issue once I'd get back to do doing guild jobs again. With that out of the way, I returned to the palace and headed straight for the room that was assigned to me. 

* * *

"You've been awfully quiet ever since the dragons disappeared." I randomly said to Firaea as I lied on my bed, staring at the ceiling after returning to the palace and deciding to spend the rest of the night alone in my room.

" _Oh, Verik. You don't want to know…_ " She spoke in that same mysterious tone as she had before the tournament. I wasn't sure whether or not I was glad for her being back to her normal old self.

"Hm?" I pressed her to tell me more.

" _I was so worried about you._ " She wailed. " _But… I'm so intensely relieved that you made it out alive._ "

"Say, Firaea. You know about my past, right?" I then asked her, casually calling her by her name for the first time before I even realised it.

" _Oh, yes… I hold all of your precious memories right here with me._ " She whispered.

"If I come to you, you promise me to give me my memories?"

" _Yes… That's what I've been trying to tell you all this time. And yet you've continued to keep me waiting all this time. Why are you doing this to me?_ "

"After returning to my home, I'll consider it." I said without wanting to make it a promise, even though I was pretty sure that paying her a visit was going to be at the top of my priority list after I'd come back home.

" _I need you… Come to me…_ " She continued to softly whisper those same words over again, even until after I'd fallen asleep.


	81. Chapter 79 - Home Sweet Home

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 79  
HOME SWEET HOME**

The next morning, I'd woken up early, just around the time of sunrise. After I got myself dressed and checked to see if there was anything to do at this time, but everything was quiet in the castle. I guessed everyone was still asleep from staying up late at the party. I went into the huge room that was used for the banquet yesterday and found the interior was rearranged. There were a number of long tables with decorative cloth draped over them, each marked with the emblem of one of the main guilds that participated in the Games. A small group of butlers and maids were working hard on preparing the breakfast for the seven guilds that would likely wake up within the next couple of hours, and walked back and forth, carrying all sorts of food to the tables and making sure everything looked nice.

Ignoring all that, I went over to the empty Fairy Tail table and took a seat there and quietly started on breakfast, taking whatever was already available to me.

As I was about to finish my peaceful breakfast, the door of the room opened, and Yukino and the members of the Sabertooth team came in. Of all the guilds to enter first this morning, it had to be them… well, this was my cue to leave. Hastily finishing the remainder of my tea, slightly scorching my throat as it was still too hot, I stood up and prepared to take my leave. But I was halted by Yukino who approached me, with the others behind her.

"I know how you feel about me, but I would still like to thank you for helping Lucy and me escape." She said and lightly bowed her head. "I sincerely hope that you would be willing to forgive me… for what I have done to make you resent me so much." She added.

"Just leave me alone." I said coldly and walked past her while she still stood there with her head down. I had no interest whatsoever in wasting more of my time on her or her ex-guildmates. But again, I was halted, this time by Sting who aggressively grabbed me by my collar and held me slightly up so that only my toes touched the floor.

"Who do you think you are to treat Yukino like that!?" He growled and I saw anger burning in his gaze.

"Why do you even care? Your stupid guild kicked her out because she was deemed too weak." I knew what I just said had gone too far. The very next moment, I felt a fist going into my face and I was knocked down to the floor.

"Sting… please." Yukino said in shock.

"That's enough, Sting." Rogue muttered and gripped his guildmate's arm. Sting sighed, trying to cool himself, and then lowered his arm but continued to look at me with fierce eyes.

"Listen..." I said as I got back up after that painful hit. "I don't want anything to do with you, nor with any of your guild, got that?" Without giving them a chance to respond, I walked off and returned to my room.

Seriously, how could they expect me to so easily forgive them for badly mistreating not only our guild's members, but even their own. Who cares if they are, or rather were the strongest? I could never respect a guild that treats others like dirt. I looked at myself in the mirror as I cleaned my face that was all swollen up from that blow. That Sting guy sure does know how to throw a good punch; I would love to have a chance at fighting him some time, I thought to myself as I dried my face with a towel. 

* * *

Later that morning, I had been spending the time lying on bed, just thinking random thoughts, when suddenly there was someone knocking on the door to my room.

"Pack your things, we're about to leave." Erza shouted without opening the door.

"Pack? I finished doing that last night." I smiled to myself, grabbed my stuff and met with the others in the corridor outside my room.

"Everyone's here?" Erza said, looking at our little group. "Great, let's go!"

"Where are the rest of the guild members?" I asked, as I only saw Natsu, Gray, Lucy and her gathered here.

"They already left an hour ago. We're late because a certain fire idiot just couldn't stop eating." Gray complained aloud.

"You guys said you were all full, so it'd be a waste to just leave it!" Natsu said as he patted his belly.

"By the way, where were you yesterday, Roth?" Lucy asked me while we made our way through the palace. "I don't think I've seen you at the party?"

"I left early because I was tired." I explained in short. But really, was I so invisible that nobody had even noticed me during the time I had been there? Such a depressing thought…

"Aw, man! So you totally missed my most glorious moment!?" Natsu groaned, but then grinned at the memory of it.

"No, it's good that he did. Nobody should be exposed to that much stupidity. What were you even thinking, you moron?" Gray commented harshly.

"Don't even think about it. If you two end up fighting here, I'll have you both walking the way home." Erza spoke before the situation could escalate. Coming from her, having them walk back was actually pretty soft. It was more likely she'd hit them so hard, they'd be crawling back…

"Whatever. It'd probably be better than sittin' in that thing for three days straight." Natsu moaned, not looking forward to the journey back.

"It'll be fine, because you'll have me at your side, right?" Lucy smiled and winked at Natsu in an attempt to brighten his mood a little, but it seemed like her gesture had gone largely unnoticed.

"Aye! And me!" Happy happily added.

After we all got into the carriage, it was time for us to say farewell to the capital of Fiore. I looked out of the window as we rode away, watching the bustling streets of the city. Life just went on as normal, even though it had been only two days had passed since the city was ravaged by a bunch of real dragons. It was amazing to see how quickly the regular people recovered from a disaster of such scale… As a wizard, I could not even begin to imagine a life without magic; it honestly was a terrifying thought. At least I had magic to protect myself with. But the regular people, they had nothing…

"Hey. Something happened to you?" Gray suddenly asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I said, not getting what he meant.

"Your face. It's kind of swollen?" Lucy then said as she looked at me.

"Oh…" Was all I could utter in response. I'd hoped that it would've disappeared by the time we would head back.

"It was Sabertooth, wasn't it?" Erza then said. "They told me… about what happened this morning when I went to say goodbye to them."

"You really dislike Yukino, huh? Is that the reason you got hit?" Lucy guessed.

"She thanked me for coming to rescue you and her and asked for my forgiveness. I waved her off, but then Sting got mad me. I said something stupid and earned myself a punch to the face. That's all." I told my story in short and then sighed. There was no point in keeping quiet since Erza already knew about it anyway. "I… just can't forgive them for what they've done." I added after a short pause.

"You must know they have changed their ways since the tournament, Roth." Erza said. "Their old guild leader is gone and Sting has taken over since then. Also, Yukino has been allowed to return as a member of their guild."

"Whatever. It's too late for apologies now, anyway. I hope I don't ever get to see them again." I firmly stated my opinion and wasn't interested in discussing the matter any longer.

"It's very well a possibility we'll face them again in next year's Games. I'm not asking you to change your view on them… but, it would make things easier – both for you, as for them, if you could get yourself to at least accept them." Erza added just to have the last word in this conversation. Next year's still so far away, that wasn't something I wanted to think about right now. I'll see what happens next year when it's there. 

* * *

Late in the afternoon that same day, we stopped and were allowed to go out to take a short break. With the weather as warm as it was, it was truly delightful to get a chance to spend some time outside. Natsu was all green and dizzy from motion sickness when he stumbled out of the carriage and fell with his face into the grass at the roadside. The rest of us all went to sit down in the meadow.

"I'm still wobbly." Natsu groaned after a while when he was feeling a little better.

"What you are is a mess." Gray commented plainly as he enjoyed the fresh air and the touch of sunlight on his skin.

"What do you expect!? I can't stand that rattling ride." Natsu whined.

"You'll just have to suck it up for a while." Lucy said while she was making something out of the flowers she'd picked when we got here.

"Hey, hey, Natsu!" Happy waved at him. "What are you gonna do when we get home?"

"Let's see… Well, I wanna go on a bunch of quests." He answered with a dreamy smile and his eyes closed.

"I wanna go fishing." Happy said and sat down beside his best friend. "Hey, Lucy! What about you?"

"Good question… I came up with an idea for a story at the Grand Magic Games, so maybe I'll finally get back to writing my novel writing." She said, sounding thrilled by the idea.

"Oh? You write a novel? What's it about?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Hm… it's still a secret!" She replied.

"Roth, come over here for a bit." Erza said from behind a large rock in the field.

"Huh, what is it?" I muttered and got up to see what Erza wanted from me.

"What? That's not fair, Erza! What are you doing?" Natsu protested for being left out, though he was too weakened to get up right now.

"What is it you want?" I asked Erza when I got to the other side of the rock where she sat, holding a notebook and feather in her hands.

"Oh, I'd just like your opinion on this new customised armour I designed. Those other two refuse to wear armour in battle, so they're useless." She said, referring to Natsu and Gray, and then showed me the sketch she made. "It's superior in strength and resistance to everything, but also with an emphasis on a glamorous appearance. What do you think?" The drawing itself, if you could even call it that, looked nothing like her description. In fact, it looked like absolutely nothing at all, and I was only able to make out certain things thanks to the help of little notes and arrows she had added.

"Uhm… It looks fine." I lied as I thought of something more to say. "Maybe, uhm, add a little more armour here. And try decreasing the size of the wings... they're wings, right?" I made some random suggestions as they popped up in my head.

"That's a good idea! I knew I could count on you, Roth!" Erza gave me a thumbs up and went back to making corrections to her sketch.

As I was about to return to Natsu and Lucy, I noticed Gray standing away from the group, staring into the distance. What was he doing there by himself, I wondered, and decided to check up on him.

"Yo. What are you doing out here?" I casually asked as I approached him.

"Huh?" He looked at me without giving me an answer.

"Not feeling like being with the others? It's okay if you want me to leave." I said.

"Oh… no, it's okay." He replied and his gaze went back into the distance before him. "When we were fighting the dragons, did you get a weird feeling?"

"Hm… like, a vision of the future? I said when I remembered that strange moment I had in my battle against Zirconis.

"I think I was hit here…" Gray spoke and placed his hand over his chest. "The weird feelin' that I… died won't go away. I can't really explain it, but I've felt this before."

I stayed quiet, waiting for him to tell me more, as I didn't exactly know how to respond to this.

"Come to think of it, I guess I haven't told you yet. About what happened when I was a kid…" He proceeded to tell me about himself. About the demon Deliora that destroyed his hometown. And about his teacher Ur who taught him Ice Make magic, and how she had saved his life twice. "I don't have grounds to believe it. It just seems similar. When I had the feeling that I saw a vision of my death, it felt strangely… Yeah… strangely warm."

"Warm?"

"Sorry. I'm bending your ear with nonsense." He smiled at me, seeming relieved he had someone to listen to him about this.

"Not at all." I replied, honestly intrigued by the story he told me.

"Lamia's Scale's Lyon was also Ur's disciple. And Ultear from Crime Sorcière is Ur's daughter. That reminds me. Whatever happened to Ultear?" He wondered aloud. "When the dragons attacked, I wonder if she was fighting somewhere, too."

Before I could reply to that, the driver notified us to get back into the carriage. We all went back inside and continued our journey back to Magnolia. 

* * *

Two days with nothing much happening later, we finally made it there. Natsu looked like he was about to die and was the first one to leave the carriage when it stopped moving in the centre of the town. To my surprise, the town square was filled to the brim with people, yelling and cheering as we stepped out of the carriage and joined the rest of our members who arrived here earlier.

"Look! They're the ones who played in the Grand Magic Games!"

"They're really back! The strongest guild in Fiore!"

"Fairy Tail's so cool! I wanna join, too!"

The townspeople were bursting with excitement and showered us with endless praise, it honestly was a little bit overwhelming. I could even hear a few people amongst the crowd shouting my name. Really, I hadn't done that much… I hadn't even been able to win my own battle against Bacchus, and I voluntarily dropped out of the team twice. But I guess it was nice to have at least a little bit of recognition as one of Fairy Tail's stronger members.

While still on the streets, Natsu began rummaging through his travel bag. "I'll show you guys somethin' cool! Ta-daa!" He plucked a real crown from it and held it up with both hands for everyone to see.

"The king's crown!"

"You took it home!?"

A few of our guild members almost fainted from shock at seeing Natsu with the crown of the king of Fiore. I wondered how he got his hands on the thing… He didn't really seem like the sneaky type to me.

"Not this…" Natsu then mumbled and put it back into the bag and continued to search. "Proof of our victory! The King's Cup!" He finally got what he was looking for, and showed off the huge golden cup that we received for winning the Grand Magic Games.

"I can't believe it… we finally won!"

"After all these years of being last in place…"

Several Fairy Tail members got a little too emotional when they saw Natsu hold it up and show it to all the townspeople.

"Come on, Romeo! Hold it higher!" Natsu let him hold it as he carried him on his shoulders.

"Ahem." A colourfully dressed man asked for our guild's attention. "The mayor of Magnolia would like to present you with a token of our appreciation!"

"Token of your appreciation? You should'nt have…" Makarov smiled modestly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Fairy Tail members, this way, please." The mayor spoke and led us through the main street. "Fairy Tail is the pride of our town. And so, we wanted to restore the guild's headquarters." He said once we reached the end and showed us our new and renovated guild building, located in the same place as the one we had seven years ago. It was grander and looked more magnificent than any of our previous guild halls.

Makarov's jaw dropped to the ground when it came in sight, as did those of the rest of the guild when they saw our new guild building. It was unbelievable the townsfolk had managed to do this in just one week; they must have had incredible faith in us winning the Games this year with all of our strongest members having returned.

"Our old headquarters is back!" Natsu exclaimed ecstatically.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy joined him in his cheers.

"Mayor, I don't know what to say…" Makarov stood there with tears of gratitude flowing from his eyes. "I love this town!" 

* * *

The new guild hall sure did look grand, but I was really in need of some time alone after this super busy week. Once people were starting to return to their houses again and most of the guild members had gone into the brand-new guild hall, I finally could leave without attracting much attention from others. I was looking forward to spending the rest of the day all alone at home, reading a book or something.

However, when I finally made it back to my old home and stepped inside, I found it was completely emptied. Also, the front door was missing… Wait, now I remembered. Natsu broke the door to my apartment when he came to get me before we left to the Games. That, in turn, must have been inviting for random strangers to just barge in take whatever was inside since I was gone all week. How very depressing… I suppose I was lucky I'd never spent a lot on expensive furniture or useless trinkets, but it still felt bad to return to an emptied home.

It seemed the only thing they left was the drawing Reedus had made for me, which was still hanging on the wall. In the corner of my room I also noticed a small paper note. Oh, was this the recipe Wendy had left me after she helped me bake a cake? I picked up the note, and also got Reedus's drawing off the wall, neatly folded it and put both papers away in my pocket. Maybe it was time for me to find a better apartment. With the money I was able to earn from guild jobs now, I should be able to afford something a little more spacious and luxurious. But that would have to wait for another time, as I was almost completely out of money after paying three months of rent and buying new shoes for Wendy and myself.

With this turn of events, there was a lot on my mind all of a sudden, though the thing I really wanted at this moment was a good night's rest. I made myself as comfortable as I possibly could on the bare, wooden floor, and then fell asleep.


	82. Chapter 80 - Reclaim The Past

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 80  
RECLAIM THE PAST**

I woke up feeling all stiff after having spent all night lying on the floor, and despite having slept for a good seven to eight hours, I didn't feel very well rested. I was immediately reminded of my current situation the moment I opened my eyes. After quickly washing myself, I left my house. I didn't really feel like confronting my landlord about what had happened, so I just left a note on the wall, stating I'd be moving out. He already said noone seemed interesting in the place anyway, so it should be okay.

Without a place of my own and a minimum of material possessions to carry around, I felt free like a bird. I had already decided: today, I was going to travel to Mount Firaea! In the end, the voice in my head had never confirmed where it was residing, almost as though it was testing me and wanting me to find out by myself. The book I'd borrowed from Levy was the only information regarding the demi-gods. If Firaea was somehow still alive, she should be located inside that volcano that was named after her, as demi-gods grew severely weaker the farther they'd travel from their birthplace. And now that I had no rent to worry about, I could leave for as long as I wanted. Then, I'd be looking for a new home once I return from my trip to Firaea. That was the plan I'd laid out in my head.

But first, I should give Wendy these sandals I'd bought for her, I thought to myself, when I had a look through my travel bag to check on what I still had left. I didn't really feel like going to the guild hall, as it might be difficult to leave on my own without having to explain where I was going. That said, there wasn't anything to be done about it. I couldn't just leave for a week or two without telling anyone about it, I guessed. As I left my house, giving it one last glance before turning my back to it, I thought of what I should tell Wendy and Gajeel about my plans. I really wanted to avoid getting them involved if it was possible… this was something I needed to do on my own.

"Oi! You!" An all too familiar voice behind me called out on the streets.

"You're already back to doing your training?" I greeted Gajeel as I turned around. It wasn't often that I'd meet him on my way to the guild hall, as he was often up much earlier than I was. Of course, with how early I'd gone to sleep last night, today turned out to be an exception.

"Three more laps to go. I can't afford to soften up with Salamander around." Gajeel huffed as he kept himself in motion. "Anyway, what's the bag for?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Since you're here, do you mind taking these?" I took the pair of sandals out of my bag and handed them over to Gajeel.

"Hm? What's this?" Gajeel stopped moving as he examined them.

"Could you give those to Wendy? I promised I would buy her new ones." I explained. "Also, I should let you know that I won't be coming to the guild for a while. Please let her know when you see her, okay?" Without waiting for his answer, I ran off.

"Huh?" Gajeel had a confused look on his face, then shrugged and continued his morning routine after I'd disappeared from sight.

What luck I ran into Gajeel, this way I wouldn't have to make it all the way to the guild hall. Since I was close to the market on the town's square, I went there and bought some provisions for the journey. If I had read the map correctly, it should take me a couple of days to reach the volcano. I bought some bread, fruit and juice that should last me at least for the way there, although I would still have the chance to buy more in Clover Town if it was necessary.

* * *

After stowing my bag with food and drinks at the market, I went to the train station, where I caught the train going north; I was thrilled about going on an adventure all by myself. Come to think of it, this was actually the first time I went on my own. Well, I did do my three month training in solitude, but that was nothing more than just training… this was completely different. And what's more, this adventure could actually lead me to recovering my lost memories. That alone made me all excited for this trip.

There were still many unanswered questions, though, I thought to myself as I watched the landscape flash by out of the window of the train that went at full speed. The most problematic thing was that I was unsure about how much I could really trust Firaea, or if she even really was who she claimed to be. Why did she want me to come to her so badly? What could she possibly gain from helping me out? It couldn't be just because she wants to be nice…? Everytime I'd asked her about her motives, she'd ignored me or changed the subject. Then again, she had been vague and mysterious about a lot of other things as well. It was hard to say what I really thought of her. I felt I could believe what she told me, but whether or not I could actually trust her, that was another matter. Hopefully, she would leave me alone after all this was done. While I didn't mind the occasional strange, but casual chat with her, she'd proven to be quite cumbersome to deal with in difficult situations. Not to mention that whole thing about taking over my body against my will. That alone made me want to get her out of my head for good.

I left the train once it reached its final destination in Clover Town station. It was still early in the afternoon, so I would be able to make good progress before the night would come. With plenty of energy to spare, I began my hike through the mountainous regions surrounding the town.

: : : ::: : : :

That idiot, what was he planning this time? Going on some adventure all by himself? Whatever. That would just mean I'd have more time to work on my training. And what's the deal with these sandals he just handed to me… why did I have to be the one to give these to the brat? I sighed and decided to go to the guild hall because I didn't feel like carrying around a pair of kid's sandals while doing my training. Since it was still early in the morning, not many people were in the guild hall. Feeling a little sleepy, I searched for a place to take a nap while I'd wait for the brat to arrive. With the guild hall being completely new and all, I'd have to look for a new favourite spot to call my own. Most importantly, it should be far away from where Salamander was going to have his usual spot. I ended up picking a place against the wall, somewhere in a quiet corner of the hall.

"Good morning, Gajeel!" I heard a voice in front of me. Opening my eyes, I saw the brat standing there, giving me that cheerful smile she'd usually show when she spoke to me.

"Hm? What do you want?" I grumbled in response.

"Nothing. I just wanted to say hi."

"Oh, by the way. I got somethin' for you." I said and fished the pair of sandals from my pockets. "Here." With that, I dropped them on the ground before her feet. It seemed she was another pair, but they looked worn and not nearly as nice as the ones he had bought her.

"Ah?" She looked in wonder for a moment, then gave me hug. "Thank you so much!" She proceeded to replace her current sandals with the new ones. The seemed to fit perfectly. "They're wonderful!"

"Don't thank me. They're that lightning-boy's gift. Said somethin' about a promise." I replied curtly.

"Roth? Why did he task you with giving these to me?" She wondered.

"Hell if I know. But he said he won't be coming to the guild for some time." I spoke and shrugged.

"What?" She responded in shock. "Did you ask him where he'd be going, Gajeel?"

"He ran off before I got the chance. Dunno what's gotten into him." I answered.

"Something is wrong… I know it." She said with a sad look on her face.

"Hello, Wendy… Hi, Gajeel." An all too familiar blue-haired wizard joined in.

"Oh. It's you." I greeted her with as much indifference as I could. What was she doing here, butting into our conversation like that?

"What's with the sad face, Wendy?" She asked her.

"I–It's about Roth… He left without saying anything."

"He did?" Levy went in thought.

"I'm worried, Miss Levy. There's been…" Wendy wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

"He must be heading for Mount Firaea." Levy said with certainty. "He has talked to me about this before. Something was calling him… From what he shared with me, that volcano is the only place I can imagine him going."

"Wait, what are you talkin' about? What volcano?" I asked, not knowing about anything she was going on about.

Levy proceeded to tell us about the conversation she'd had with Roth before the three month training. "… He gave me the impression he didn't want to share it with anybody else, but as their teammates, I think you deserve to know."

"Thank you so much, Miss Levy." Wendy bowed her head as she thanked her. "Do you think we should go after him?" She then asked.

"That I can't answer for you, Wendy. There is no way of knowing what that demi-god really wants of him, and whether or not it has friendly intentions." Levy answered.

"What do you think, Gajeel?" The brat turned to me.

"Geh, if it means we get to beat up a demi-god, I'm in." I smirked. With the power of the shadows flowing through my veins after my fight against that Rogue guy, I was stronger than ever.

"Gajeel. No matter what, you must not fight it, you hear me?" Levy said to me with a dead serious look on her face and stared me right in the eyes. Tch, who did she think she was, my mum?

"Don't worry, Miss Levy. We'll get Roth out of there!" Wendy stated boldly. "Right, Gajeel?"

"Sure." I responded curtly and averted my eyes from Levy's gaze. While I wasn't particularly worried about that good-for-nothing, without him, our team just wasn't complete. We couldn't claim the top spot as a team if it was missing one of its core members. Not to mention, I wanted that sparring match against him that he promised me before we left Crocus.

"Good luck, you two!" Levy waved at us as we left the guild hall. "And, Wendy, take good care of Gajeel for me! Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, okay?" She added, at which Wendy happily agreed to with a nod and a smile. Seriously, what's up with that crazy woman, I thought to myself, as I stuck my hands my pockets and walked away, pretending like I hadn't heard anything.

"So… Mount Firaea was it? Any idea of where that is?" I asked the brat.

"I do. I was taught basic geography during my time in Cait Shelter. If we take the train to Clover Town, we'll be there within a couple of days." She answered me optimistically.

"I see. I believe the next train departs in three hours. I'll see ya at the station then." I said to her and then went on my way home. If we were going to be gone for several days, I'd better prepare.

* * *

Sleeping bag, check. Food and drinks, check. Training weights, check. Cat… wait, where's my damn cat?

"Lily!" I shouted.

"Ugh. No need to shout, I'm right here." Lily groaned as he climbed out of his bed in the other room of my house and showed up around the corner.

"We're leavin', and you're coming with us." I said decidedly, not taking no for an answer.

"Leaving? To where?" Lily inquired.

"Some volcano. Now, prepare for the journey. We could be away for a while." I told him as I finished packing my own things. "Also, bring your training equipment. Just because we're gonna travel doesn't mean we can go easy on ourselves. Besides, you've already skipped out on training this morning, didn't you?"

"Right. But that's only because I was kept up all night by your snoring." Lily said.

"Whatever. I need you to be strong." I told him as I didn't want my cat to be weak and wimpy-like, like those other two.

"I know." He answered and left the room to gather his training equipment and weapon.

Three hours later, when Lily and I arrived at the station, the brat was already there. She had her own cat companion at her side, and waved at us when she saw us coming.

"I've already bought us tickets. The train is ready to depart, so let's hurry." She said, handed me a ticket and then took the lead toward the train we needed.

"I'm impressed you came this prepared, Wendy. Gajeel could learn a thing or two from you." Lily complimented Wendy as we followed her.

"Don't be ridiculous." I muttered back.

"Not really. I had Carla help me out, as I couldn't do it all on my own." She said and halted for a moment to pat her companion on the head. "You're so great, Carla!"

"I only did what you asked of me, dear." She said in all modesty, but gladly accepted her friend's gesture of thankfulness.

"Oh, before we're leaving, let me use my enchantment on you, Gajeel." Wendy turned around and offered her magic to me. Knowing the effect of her spell would make my time on the train not a complete nightmare, I accepted, and had her cast Troia on me. "There, you're good to go now!" She happily said, and we then boarded the train to Clover Town.


	83. Chapter 81 - Race To The Finish

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 81  
RACE TO THE FINISH**

It had been three days since I left Magnolia. It had been sort of difficult traversing the rough and rocky landscape surrounding Clover Town on my first two days, but today, I was nearing the edge of a large forest, and the area was definitely becoming less extreme in these parts. On the horizon, in the middle of the woods, there was a lone mountain. Going by what I read about the location and its unusual shape for a mountain, I was pretty sure that had to be Mount Firaea, meaning I was getting close to my destination. Since it was still morning, I guessed I should be able to reach it today if everything went well, and no unexpected obstacles would show up along the way.

" _I see you're almost there. Just a little farther…_ "

The voice had been whispering random lines, like those, in my head to push me to keep going ever since I had begun my journey. I was almost questioning which of us was more excited about finally meeting each other. Firaea's impatience and her need to have me come to her so badly did worry me. If, for some reason, this was all a trap set up by her, I wasn't sure if I'd live through it. Supposedly, demi-gods were as strong as dragons… it would be problematic if I ended up in a fight with her. I'd have to try to avoid conflict at all costs. I was only coming there to retrieve the memories that belonged to me, that was all. In any case, this was my final chance to still turn back if I had my doubts. But I had come too far to give up now. The thought of finally getting my memories back was too wondrous to ignore. And so, I entered the forest, ready for the last part of my journey.

: : : ::: : : :

"Gajeel. Please put me down..." The brat continued to plead as I carried her.

"Urgh, fine." I finally gave in to her incessantly whining, taking her off my shoulder and put her with her feet on the ground. "But I won't wait if you fall behind, understood?" I told her to her face.

"No need to be so harsh on the kid, Gajeel." Lily said to me, disapproving of my way of treating her.

"Hmph. We won't make it in time if we keep wasting time, so hurry up." I said and continued walking at a merciless pace. The brat was forced to jog to keep up to me, but the new sandals she was wearing weren't at all made for this type of terrain. Still, as long as she wouldn't slow me down and stay quiet, I didn't care. I'd offered her my help, but if she didn't want it, then so be it.

"Kya!"

At the sound of her voice, followed by a thud, I turned around and saw the brat lying face down on the floor. Had she stumbled? "Oi! Get up, you." I grunted at her as I brusquely grabbed her by her arm to help her get up.

"I… I'm fine…" She whimpered, tears glinting in the corner of her eyes. I looked down and saw painful scratches all across her knees.

"No, you ain't. Sit down and stay." Placing my hands on her shoulders, I made her sit on a large rock. From my bag, I took a roll of bandages and wrapped it around her legs where she got hurt.

"I'm so sorry… Gajeel." She was on the verge of crying.

"Don't be. Here, eat." I handed her a slab of meat. It was the only thing I had brought to eat besides some metal objects. "We'll rest for a while." I sat down next to her and took some screws from my travel bag to chew on.

"Th–Thank you…" She said weakly and began to nibble on the piece of meat.

"I don't agree with your methods, Gajeel, but when push comes to shove, you're nicer than you look." Carla commented. I thought about that for a moment, but I couldn't decide whether or not to take that as a compliment, so I simply responded with a vague "hmph".

"You really are a nice person, Gajeel." The pipsqueak smiled at me. Oh, come on. I was reason you got wounded in the first place…

"Listen, I'm not doin' this for you, got that? We're here to get that friend of yours out of that mess he's getting' himself into. That's all." I refused to accept all that sweet talk.

"There's no need to hide it, Gajeel. You really do care about her. And are you sure Roth's only her friend? We all know you, yourself, consider him your friend as well." Lily stated with a grin. Wendy giggled at hearing his words.

"Shut your trap, you!" I kicked in the direction of Lily, but he stood too far to be in reach. Seriously, why do they even care what I think of them? I continued to grumble on about it in my thoughts as I finished my metallic snack.

"Anyway, you said you could smell his scent following this path, right? In that case, we shouldn't be too far behind him. I'll scout ahead and see if I can find anything." Lily suggested and then took off. Carla decided to go with him and also left.

"Oi. You think you can walk again?" I asked the brat after a moment of silence between us. She gave me a small nod and stood up. She wobbled on her feet for a moment, but then regained balance.

"Here… it's a bit much for me." She softly spoke and returned the slab of meat I'd given her. I glanced at it as I took it back, and noticed that she hadn't take more than a small bite from it.

"You." I called her.

"Huh?"

"… Never mind." I sighed. "Just make sure to eat enough. You're useless to me on an empty stomach."

"Mhm." She docilely nodded again with her eyes cast downward and followed me as we continued to walk. I maintained a lower tempo this time around, just so she'd be able to keep up with her wounded knees. If she'd fall again, it would only further slow us down. Things would be so much easier if she'd just let me carry her, but no… she must insist on walking herself. At this rate, we'd never make it before that idiot gets to that volcano…

* * *

An hour or so later, the two Exceed came flying back in our direction.

"Not good, Gajeel. We did find remains of his camp from last night, but it's nearby a forest that's surrounding the volcano up ahead." Lily reported back to me. "We searched the area, but couldn't find anything. If he's gone into the forest, it's very unlikely we'll reach him before he gets there."

I cursed under my breath when I realised we really weren't going to make it.

"Let's not give up, everyone. We can still find him." The brat said with determination and upped the pace, despite the bad condition her legs were in. I couldn't let her continue like this. It would only be a matter of time before she'd get herself hurt again.

"That's enough. You, come here, and I want no complaints, ya hear me?" I said as I slung her over my shoulder to carry her. Fortunately, there were no objections made by her this time, making things a lot easier if she could stay that way for the last part. The brat could be right, though, we might still have a chance to get to him if we hurried. With that thought, I began to run, and it wasn't long before the edge of the forest came in sight. I could definitely still smell his scent around this place; it seemed he hadn't passed through here too long ago. While it would be more difficult to pick up his scent inside the forest, it wasn't hard to predict the path he must have taken. I continued to run in a straight line in the direction of the volcano.

: : : ::: : : :

It was rather strange, the entire base of the volcano was completely bare, almost as if there was some kind of invisible barrier that prevented anything from growing any closer to it. But this was definitely it, the place where Firaea should be waiting for me. There was a stone, man-made path leading up the slope of the volcano, close to where I was standing. It was completely beaten, looking like it was made some long time ago and has never been taken care of since then. Farther up on the slope, in which the path lead to, I could see a small, ancient looking temple. I guessed that's probably where the entrance or whatever must be, and so, I began to make my way up the slope.

"So… this is it, huh?" I spoke softly as I followed the path.

" _Yes… Yes, it is. I can hardly wait to finally see you with my own eyes, Verik._ " Firaea replied eagerly.

Once I made it to the temple at the end of the path, I was greeted by the sight of a figure I certainly did not want to see again. Before the gate that lead to the inner parts of the volcano stood the man known as the Blazing Phoenix's gate guardian, Ekstramma. He wore that same old dull black metal armour which covered his entire body. This time, however, I was not under the effects of his curse…

He just stood there, not moving at all. If it wasn't for the pressure in the air caused by the extreme amounts of dark magic energy that flowed from him, I would've thought it was just a statue. What should I do, I wondered. Was this a trap? Knowing that even Gildarts in his younger years had trouble against this foe, what could I possibly do if it were to attack me here? But why would Firaea make me come over here only to have me crushed by her gate guardian? I Prequipped myself, just in case, and carefully took some steps forward, yet Ekstramma did not move a muscle; though, the strong magic coming from him was still all around this place. The vile darkness that radiated from him was so strong, it made me want to throw up.

When I was only a few metres, suddenly a light appeared from inside his armour. The next moment, flames burst from all over him, melting his heavy armour plates in a matter of seconds. As quickly as the flames had appeared, they were gone again. What was left were the deformed pieces of metal that had been his armour, and whatever must have been his body, had been reduced to nothing but ash. The only thing still intact was the enormous metal wheel he'd carried on his back, which he had used as a weapon in an attempt to kill me in my previous encounter with him.

" _With you here, I have no longer need of him._ " Firaea said. That cold tone in her voice sent shivers down my spine. This wasn't the Firaea I knew.

But I couldn't turn back now… No, I'd have to trust her. Cautiously, I pushed open the gate and went inside. The gate closed itself again with a sound that echoed through the silent hall. A long, wide corridor lied stretched out before me. The interior seemed rough; the walls and floor consisted of simple volcanic rock. There was a line of stone pillars along the walls, and a multitude of smaller passages branched out from the main hallway. Sight in this hall seemed restrictive, with a thick veil of darkness hiding what was farther up ahead of me.

"Welcome to my domain… Verik." Firaea's voice greeted me. For the first time, I heard the sound of her voice through my ears, rather than from inside my head.

: : : ::: : : :

I was impressed by the fact he'd managed to stay ahead of me all this time. Even though I'd been running for the past few hours, I still came across indications that showed that he had been here before me. Undoubtedly, he must have been skipping breaks, even been eating while walking, and probably only stopped to sleep before he went into this forest. If I had known he'd been so driven to get there as fast as he could, I would've pushed harder on the first two days. With the terrain becoming rockier again as I went, the volcano couldn't be far away now.

It was indeed not long until the volcano came in sight, and with it, the forest abruptly ended. The edge of the forest around the entire base of the volcano was formed in a near perfect circle, giving it an unnatural look.

Having reached the end destination before catching up to him, meant that we were too late. I stopped to catch my breath after running all the way here, and put the brat on the ground.

"Th–This is it?" She said in wonder, looking at the volcano in front of us.

"Right. But it seems we couldn't get here before him." I replied.

"No! Wait! There he is!" She said, pointing in the direction where she saw him.

Narrowing my eyes, I scanned the place she was pointing at, and then found him. "Hey! You!" I shouted from the top of my lungs, but there was too much distance between us. It seemed he had just reached the end of the path, as I saw him disappear into some temple-like structure high up on the slope of the volcano. Without wasting any more time, I took the brat under my arm and sprinted up the path leading to the temple.


	84. Chapter 82 - I'll Kill You

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 82  
I'LL KILL YOU**

Without responding to Firaea's greeting after I entered, with caution I proceeded through the long hallway. Where exactly was I going, I wondered, as I continued; with the shroud of darkness present in this place, I had no idea where I was headed.

"You're no fun when you don't respond to me. Having made me wait for seven long years, and not even a hello?" It was difficult to determine her true feelings. Was she earnestly bothered that I hadn't greeted her back? Or was she just playing the mysterious entity, like she had before? Should I play along just to make her happy? "Can you imagine how saddened I was by the news of you and your precious guild having gotten wiped off the face of the planet? And then, the endless amounts of joy I felt when you suddenly, magically turned up again..." She began some kind of monologue before I had even decided on how to deal with her. I stopped moving to concentrate on listening to her story.

"Putting my guild's assets to good use, I even managed to establish a telepathic connection with you; to see the world from your eyes, Verik… it was a blissful experience. To be granted a look of your new life, seeing the faces of those you call your friends, and to see you fight for your new guild.

You should know that I have been lonely… so very lonely. For centuries, I remained in a dormant state, slumbering, to slowly regain the life that had been taken from me by the dragons. By that dragon..." Without giving a name, I had no clue what dragon she was talking about, but I quietly continued to listen.

"When I finally did wake up, hundreds of years later, I lived in a world where all of my brothers and sisters had been murdered. Tell me, what am I to do in a world where my kind was no longer welcome? I recruited you humans and formed a guild of my own with only one purpose in mind… But enough about me. It's about time I fulfill my promise to you, Verik. However, not all things come without a cost. Prove to me your worth in a fight to the death!"

"Roth!" I suddenly heard Wendy's voice coming from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see her, Gajeel and their cat companions running my way. What were they doing here, and how did they know I even was here? Had they been following me all this time?

"You shall not interfere!" Firaea spoke, and from nowhere, a cage of fire formed, surrounding the bunch of them, keeping them from reaching me. "This trial is Verik's, and Verik's alone!"

However, Wendy and Gajeel ignored her words and tried using their Dragon Slayer techniques on it, but to no avail. The fire stayed in place, not affected by their spells in even the slightest.

"Well, then. Let me introduce you to your opponent." She said calmly, and from the dark mist emerged a girl that looked like she was in her early twenties. Dirt and dust covered most of her skin and her long, messy hair, and her body showed signs as if she'd gone through harsh beatings. The only clothing she had on her were simple rags. Her eyes expressed no emotion, blankly staring forward. If she had been beautiful in the past, it was not visible any longer. "She's the one who helped me speak to you and look through your eyes, Verik. She's been such a good girl to me for all these years, and now, she shall serve as the key to your memories. But only if you can defeat her in battle."

I didn't want to fight somebody like her. She looked awfully frail… does she even know magic, I wondered. What was she doing in a place like this? I looked behind me again to see how Gajeel and Wendy were doing. I could see their mouths move as though they were trying to say something to me, but no sound escaped the fiery cage in which they were imprisoned. For a moment I pondered if I should try to free them, but right then, something smacked me in the face. The girl that was my opponent had punched me… despite taking a clean hit from her fist, it barely caused me to flinch. I touched the cheek that was struck, but there was barely any pain. How could she be this weak?

Another fist came my way, but I easily side-stepped away from it and forcefully grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the ground. It was when I touched her that I noticed just how light she was, weighing even less than Wendy did, who was much younger than her.

"There, I beat your champion. Isn't that what you wanted me to do?" I spoke to Firaea as I turned to face the darkness in the corridor after I had forced my opponent to the ground.

Without getting an answer back from her, I was assaulted by my opponent again. This time, I let her strike me a couple of times before tackling her and knocking her down again. Her hits were completely devoid of any spirit and failed to do any real damage. What was the meaning of a fight like this?

"Do you still not get it, Verik? You will not get your memories back unless you kill her in battle." Firaea finally spoke again. "This is the price you must pay."

"If it means I need to take the life of an innocent person, I'd rather not have my memories back at all." I walked away from the girl who still lied on the ground. "I demand you release my friends and let us leave!"

"You are in no position to make demands. This is my domain, and thus, you shall play by my rules! None of you shall leave this place until either of you dies."

What was going on? Why did Firaea insist on having me fight this defenceless girl; what could she possibly gain from this one-sided fight? I glanced at my opponent, watching her getting up again. As she got back on her feet, she pulled a short dagger from under her rags. Was she really going to try to fight me with something like that? I held my Lightning Edge pointed in her direction to keep her at a distance from me. Even with the weapon she had, she was no threat…

The girl's hands holding the dagger aimed at me were shaking, but it seemed she was still willing to continue this meaningless fight, as she advanced toward me. Even with my blade pointed at her, she kept coming to me, forcing me to take a step back, and then another. Her dull, lifeless eyes were locked onto me, an almost hypnotising gaze. What was she doing, I wondered in panic, as I continued to take steps backwards to keep her away from me.

Suddenly, she made a dash at me. In a reflex, I tried to move further backwards, but it was then that I realised my back was against the wall of the corridor. Before I even knew what happened, she had impaled herself on the blade of my sword. Yet she kept slowly nearing me. With trembling hands, I stood there, frozen. Much too late to save her from her own actions, I cancelled my Prequip ability, dematerialising my sword.

As she was losing her lifeforce, her eyes regained a lively glance. Eyes that did look familiar to me somehow, though I could not tell where from. She stumbled and fell forward, but I caught her in my arms.

"Why…?" I uttered in confusion. My vision began to blur as tears filled my eyes. Why was I crying for this stranger?

"Veer… " She whispered and managed a weak smile. "I'm so glad… to have seen you one last time…" She lifted her hand to touch my face. It slowly slid downward again, as her life faded away.

"Wh–Who are you?" I asked.

: : : ::: : : :

"Veer! Let's play!" She suddenly showed up right next to me, looking at me with those big eyes of her, as I lied in the grass watching the white clouds in the sky.

"Stop calling me that!" I yelled, and got up and walked away. Sheesh, she could be so annoying.

"No, because it's cute!" She yelled back at me with a huge grin and came after me.

I turned to face her. "That's why you shouldn't use it." I told her, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world – which it truly was.

"But you're my big bro, so I can call you whatever I like!" She said, using her own dumb logic to justify her actions.

"Whatever. Just leave me alone." I grumbled, trying to ignore her presence.

"You promised you'd play with me today!" She pouted, her cheeks puffed and her lips turned down in disappointment.

I looked over to her and sighed "Well, tomorrow will be another today. I'm busy now." I muttered, getting tired of her endless desire of wanting to play.

"But a princess needs protection! I need big bro to be my knight!" She refused to give up – her stubbornness was almost as infuriating as her insatiable playful streak!

"Fine. But only if I get to slay a bunch of monsters, and if you promise me to stop calling me by that stupid name, and if you–" I began to list a number of demands, but I got interrupted by her before I could finish.

"Okay, Veer!" She grinned innocently, and then ran off, knowing that I'd get her for that.

"Gah! I'll get you for that! Come back here, you!" I would teach the annoying brat to stop doing that once I'd catch her!

: : : ::: : : :

"Look, Veer!" She excitedly pointed at something in the distance during our walk in the forest nearby our town. "Doesn't it look adorable?" Being taken out of my thoughts so abruptly, it took me a moment to catch what she wanted me to see.

"Watch out... they're not as friendly as they look." I passively warned her when I saw she was talking about a red fox with the hairs on its fur all rising up and revealing its fangs at the sight of us, as in a way to show it would attack us, should we come closer to it, but she ignored all of that and tried to approach it. The fox wasn't moving an inch as she drew near to it - but then, in a split second, it lashed out at her. It sunk its teeth into the hand that she had stuck out in an attempt to touch the animal.

"Aahh!" She shrieked in pain and jerked her injured hand upward in a reflex. The fox immediately let loose, but wouldn't leave its position. I knew I had to do something, or the situation could go from bad to worse. The fact the animal wasn't running from us made me think it was trying to protect something, likely its young. I collected my magic and shot a bolt of lightning from my hands, which landed right between my sister and the wild animal. The small explosion created on impact made the fox leap backward in fear and it was a chance for us to get away. I grabbed her other hand and took her with me, away from where the fox was. After a while, I looked behind us to see if it wasn't following us, then sat her down in the grass and looked at her injured hand.

"Oh, no... it's bleeding so much..." She stammered through her sobbing, and her hand was wildly shaking.

"Calm down, it's not that bad." I told her in all honesty. Her quick reflexes must have saved her from the fox's teeth going in any deeper, but despite that, it was still bleeding quite a bit. "Hold still, I'll take care of it." I took the bottle of water I had with me, emptying it over her hand and rubbed over it to wash off the blood.

"I... I only wanted to pet it." She talked to me as I tended to her wounds.

"I told you to watch out, didn't I? You shouldn't carelessly approach wild animals, no matter how cute they may look." While I felt bad for her about what happened, I still wanted her to know that she should be more careful. "Anyway, we need something to cover the wounds until we get back home..." I told her.

Without warning, she pulled the headband from my head. "Then, we'll use this! But you'll need to put it on, because I can't..."

"Hey, I need that!" I responded the moment she took it, but I sighed and realised it was probably better than tearing a piece from our clothes. I took it back from her and proceeded to wrap it around her injured hand.

"Besides, you look funny without it on." She giggled while I was busy. She sure had recovered from her crying fast...

"I can't help my hair likes to go over my eyes." I mumbled back.

"Only because you don't let mum cut it for you." She liked it when she could say something I couldn't argue with. My hair was usually a mess, but I didn't care, because I had my hairband to help me keep it out of my face.

"Anyway, that's all I can do for you now. Let's go back, okay?" I said, ignoring her last statement, and stood up.

"It still hurts, though..." She softly whined as she remained seated.

"No, now it doesn't." I took her by her injured hand and pulled her up. During this moment, I sent a powerful electric shock through my hand to hers.

"Ah! What was that for?" She cried out in pain.

"Well? Does it still hurt?" I asked and smiled.

She looked at her hand for a moment in wonder. "How did you do that!?" She then asked in utter confusion.

"Secret." I answered simply.

"Hmph, fine! I won't let loose of your hand until you tell me, though!" She said in a rather angry tone, but ended with a mischievous smile as she kept holding my hand tightly.

"Haha, that'll be a long time, then." I laughed, and so we went back home.

: : : ::: : : :

"You need better concentration." I told her as I watched her trying to form magic in her hands. She sat opposite of me on the floor in the living room, her eyes closed and looked like she was trying her hardest, but not really anything seemed to be happening.

She finally gave up and went to lie down on her back, staring at the ceiling. "I... I can't do this." She complained. "Can I even use magic?"

"You can. I feel your source when you focus on using it." I said plainly, and then created some electric sparks from the tips of my fingers out of boredom.

"It's not fair... it comes so easy to you." She moaned. "Tell me your secret."

"If I had, I wouldn't tell you." I responded in all seriousness.

"You're mean, you know that?" She grumbled at me and made an effort to sit up again. "Fine, I'll show you what I can do!" She concentrated her thoughts on trying to use magic again.

"Focus your thoughts. Don't be distracted." I instructed her as I watched her trying.

"I must focus my thoughts... otherwise, I'll never surpass Veer." She said while keeping her eyes shut.

"As if that would ever happen anyhow." I grinned, amused by her thinking she could ever be better than me. I was already lightyears beyond her.

"Don't talk to me when I'm trying –" She suddenly opened her eyes in amazement. "... I'm using magic?"

"No, you aren't?" I said, confused by what she was saying.

"Look closely, Veer!" She said in excitement. For a moment I didn't know what she meant, but then I saw it.

"You're talking to me through your magic?" I said in astonishment. This wasn't like any kind of magic I'd seen before.

"Yes! Yes, I am!" She shouted happily, even though her lips weren't moving. "It was all thanks to you talking to me when I was trying to concentrate."

"Good. But don't think you'll ever become a stronger wizard than I am." I smiled at her.

"No worries! Because I already am!" She shouted again, and then ran off. Probably to tell mum and dad.

: : : ::: : : :

"Veer..." My sister's voice woke me up when I'd just fallen asleep.

"Ugh... don't do this to me." I sighed irritatedly when I knew it was her using her magic to talk to me from a distance and without mum and dad hearing her. Ever since she learned how to use her magic, she had been using it to annoy me with it whenever she could get the chance. All in the name of practice, according to her.

"You know I can hear you when you talk out loud." She said, disapproving of my annoyance with her.

"Fine, what is it?" I responded, trying to keep my voice down to avoid possibly waking up our parents.

"Veer... have you ever considered joining a wizard's guild?" She spoke, her voice sounding somewhat dreamy.

"No." I replied curtly. Obviously, I had heard of these guilds in tales of travellers and such, but I didn't know much about them. In our little village, not many people knew magic, and those who did mostly kept it to themselves. Talk about wizard's guilds was rare and they were only really mentioned on those rare occasions someone needed to hire a wizard to do a job that was deemed too difficult for non-magic users.

"If I join a wizard's guild, will you come with me, Veer?" She sounded like she was begging me.

"Maybe." I responded vaguely on purpose, as I didn't really want to make any promises on something I knew so little about.

"I'd love to join Mermaid Heel... but then you wouldn't be able to join. Then, maybe we should go for Fairy Tail? I love fairies! What do you think, Veer?"

"I... don't know." She went on rambling about all these guilds I'd never heard of before. It would be a good idea to do some research before joining one at random or only based on their name. "I'm tired. I'd like to go to sleep." I finally told her and hoped she would decided to go to sleep, too.

"Okay. Let's decide on which guild we should join tomorrow!" She sounded happy and then went quiet.

I never even said I would join one, I thought to myself. She truly could be such a pain when she got an idea stuck in her head and then kept on talking about it...

: : : ::: : : :

"Myra? It… It's you?" All of a sudden, her name had popped up in my head, along with the memories I had of her from a long time ago. "Myra, answer me!" I shook her lifeless body, but there was no response. "No, don't tell me…" My voice broke upon the realisation her spirit was no longer here.

"I didn't think you had the guts to actually do it. To kill that sweet girl, the one person who loved you with all her heart. Honestly, I'm shocked, Verik." Firaea finally spoke again, her voice lacking in any real empathy.

I had hardly time to grieve over the death of my little sister, as suddenly, my head felt like it was going to explode. Images, voices, faces… they all flitted through my head in an uncontrollable whirlpool of experiences from the past, as my memories were returning to me all at once.

"Having fulfilled my promise to you, and having enjoyed the show you two have put up for me, it's finally time for me to claim what's mine. Come to me, Verik!" Firaea's commanding voice echoed through the hallway, and with her words, Myra's body got turned into ash.

"You… I will kill you!" I roared. My memories could wait… right now, I only had one thing on my mind: the complete and utter destruction of that demi-god. Prequipping myself and using Lightning Step, I dashed through the long hallway until I entered a gigantic open space, the inside of this volcano's caldera. All around the edges was volcanic rock, with the centre consisting of a huge crater, with a lake of lava at the bottom of it.

"You'll entertain me some more? That's fine… I'll play with you, little one." Firaea finally showed herself before me. A tall, slender figure in the shape of that of a woman, but her body was entirely made of fire. Her incendiary hair was flowing upward, similar to that of a candle flame. Intense heat radiated from her body, even as she stood a distance away from me, causing me to flinch for a moment. "You and the girl were supposed to become my greatest servants, but you all messed it up when you stopped obeying me, Verik. Was the death of your parents too much for you… Oh, did I say too much?"

"Shut up! I'll kill you!" I screamed and held my Lightning Edge aimed at her. "Advanced Lightning Technique! Grand Lightning Cannon!" From the giant sword I now wielded, a massive beam of concentrated lightning was fired at where Firaea was standing. I was so blinded by rage, I did not know if my spell was having any effect on her at all. That was, until I saw her figure approaching me by walking straight through the stream of lightning I kept channelling in her direction. How could this attack not do anything at all? I finished with a final burst of magic, and then leaped away using Lightning Step to create distance.

"A lowly human trying to kill a demi-god… amusing, but ultimately pointless. It's like an ant trying to beat an elephant." Firaea stated plainly as she observed my movements. Her eyes followed me lazily, as if I were a fly buzzing about, no real concern in her flaming gaze.

"I'm not finished with you yet!" I shouted back at her. "Advanced Lightning Technique! Echoing Thunder!" I Lightning Stepped past her position, slicing her with my sword. I was struck by a flash of extreme heat, the moment I passed her, and I noticed the part of the blade that had struck her, had completely melted away. As I Lightning Stepped back, I Prequipped a new sword in an instant, and repeated the move, but again with the same result. Dammit, why weren't my attacks having any effect? I came at her again, with more force than before, but still nothing.

"It's my turn now, if you don't mind." She spoke as she turned around to face me.

"Damn you!" I roared in frustration and Lightning Stepped at her once more, but this time, my movement came to a halt as something gripped my arm. She pulled me out of my state of extreme speed and tugged my body against hers in a fiery embrace.

"Even though you have made things so very difficult for me, you should know that you have always been my favourite, Verik."

I tried to wrestle myself free from my dire position, but her grip was too strong. Being in direct contact with her felt like my skin was burning away and causing me to rapidly lose my energy.

"Despite having run away from your me, your master, you still proved yourself to be useful. For that, I must thank you. Thanks to your efforts, I can finally leave this miserable world and attain true godhood at long last." She finally released me, but I had nothing left in me. I fell to my knees. I could see her hand reaching for my chest before my vision turned all black.


	85. Chapter 83 - God Power

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 83  
GOD POWER**

I stood inside a poorly lit chamber, making it hard to make out the details. There was pain in every part of my body, but I felt myself trying to repress it the best I could. What…? Was this a dream, I wondered? It felt as if my body was moving on its own, or rather I was watching through somebody else's eyes.

"To my beloved bro… I believe, a day will come this message will be critical in your inevitable encounter with Firaea." A familiar voice came from my mouth in a whisper, talking to herself. Was this Myra's? "I hoped you'd be safe from her after I transported you to the outside world in secret when she had ordered me to execute you, but I've heard news within the guild that you've been sighted, carrying the Starlight Essence with you of all things. Between all the things Firaea is doing to me, and carrying the burden of your horrific memories… I'm not certain if I'm going to be in any state to share this message once you do return to this place. That's why I'm creating this memory for you and embed it in the rest of the memories that belong to you, so when the day comes I'll no longer be with you in this world, you will receive this message when you most need it." She paused here, like she was thinking of what to say next.

"Listen, the Starlight Essence that is in your possession is what Firaea seeks, but it's also your only key to defeating her once and for all. There is a… requirement to activate its power, but it only works if Firaea is nearby." She softly began to hum some kind of melody that lasted for several seconds. "That song is required to awaken the power within the artefact. I do not know what kind of power yours contains, but each of the Essence artefacts enable control over a power that goes beyond that of a demi-god." She paused once again.

"I'm so sorry things have come to this, Veer. I know how much you dislike me calling you that, but I hope you can forgive me for it this one time. Having not seen you for months now, I hope you are doing well. Did you get found by the people of the wizard's guild where I left you? I'm sure they found a way to dispel the seal that was left on your magic. When I'm all alone… I like to wonder about all the adventures you might be having, and the new people you're meeting in the places you visit. Knowing you are still alive and far away from this place is the only light I have.

I never knew how hard it had been for you until I took your memories and experienced everything for myself… but, I'd love to make this a happy memory for you, so I won't go on about it. Here, this is what I found on the way to my cell." I bent down and picked up something from the ground. "Do you see it?" I held up the shard of a mirror in front of me, showing me her face. Even though it was dark in the room in which I stood, I could see her bright eyes looking directly at me, and despite the pain in her body, she managed a smile. She still looked so young here… this must have been before the incident on Tenrou Island.

"I wish I could talk to you all day, Veer, but I fear for what Firaea might do if she finds out about this, so I'm going to have to let you go here. Please know that, no matter what, I will always love you.

Your sister, Myra."

She kind of ended it like she was writing a letter, and then hummed the melody one more time before everything faded to black and I was pulled back into reality again.

As Firaea reached for my chest, I began to echo the song Myra had given me through her shared memory with the last of my energy; it was the last thing I could still do before I'd die here. What was I even trying to hope to achieve by doing this? I had no idea what Myra wanted me to do with the power of this Essence Stone when I was on the verge of dying. The sound leaving my scorched throat as I hummed the song was barely audible, but it took only seconds before the stone on my necklace began to radiate brightly. Firaea flinched and stepped back in terror when she looked at the glowing stone I wore.

"Wh–What!? How did you…?" She hissed in anger.

Having finished the song and activated the Essence, I still had no clue on how to use this power. What was I supposed to do, I wondered in panic as I felt my life force slip away from the burning injuries all over me. Even with the power of this stone in my possession, how could I stand up against Firaea in this state? She must have noticed there was nothing I could do, as I could see her approaching me again. It was then that I saw an altar in the distance, behind her, on a large rock in the middle of the pool of lava in the crater of the volcano. The altar was glowing with the light of several other stones similar to mine… Four Essence stones were collected in the altar, with only the final centre piece missing. Each of them granting power that surpasses a demi-god's… if only I could reach that place, I thought to myself as I watched Firaea stand over me, attempting to grasp my necklace again after overcoming her initial shock.

It was then that my vision began to blur crazily, distorting the space around me and shortening the distance to the altar holding the additional Essence stones in the blink of an eye. Without having moved my body, I suddenly found myself in front of the altar, while Firaea was still standing back were I was just a moment ago. I glanced at her for a second in confusion before focusing my attention onto the altar.

"Take the Essences." Myra's voice whispered through my head, like that of a distant memory. "The Essence of Nature, granting absolute control over all living beings, whether that be plant, animal or human. The Essence of Spirit, granting absolute control over the hearts and minds of people. The Essence of Eternity, granting absolute control over the flow of time. The Essence of Starlight, granting absolute control over the spatial plane. And finally, the Essence of Divinity, granting absolute control over the infinite magic. The force of all five combined is what is known as the God Power."

Could this be the power that I needed? Myra's voice was the only thing that still kept me up and giving me the strength to collect the Essence stones one by one. Once I had all five of them in my hand, I sang her melody once more and they began to glow even brighter and everything in my vision becoming engulfed by a brilliant white light.

When my sight returned, I felt… strange. All of the pain in my body had completely disappeared, as if it was never there. Time seemed to flow differently in many contrasting paces, yet somehow all at the same time. My field of view was enormous, as if I was viewing everything from a distance, and still I was able to make out the tiniest details in everything around me, clearer than ever before. My magic… it was no longer the river it had always been like. It was no longer a stream, but more like an unending, bottomless ocean in which I was nothing but a drop of water, completely submerged and surrounded by it from every direction, becoming one with it all. Limitless magic that needed not to be controlled as a separate thing, as I was magic itself in this state.

I felt calm for some reason. All of my hatred and sadness seemed to have distanced itself from me and I was able to think clearly, now that I had all these powers in my possession.

"What have you done!?" Firaea shrieked as she levitated and observed my new form. "That was mine!"

I looked back at her. Every possible movement she could make at any given moment was somehow known to me in an instant. She came at me directly, furious about losing her path to godhood to me taking the Essence stones before she could. I grabbed her fist effortlessly. Then her second fist as she threw it at me in a much expected move. Even her thoughts were all clear to me, although it was nothing more but a maelstrom of unbridled hatred at this moment. Her furious eyes stared into mine as we stood there in the middle of the volcano, her fists being held by me, unwilling to let her go.

"You… You dare defy the will of a demi-god! You insolent, pathetic human! I'll show you our real power!" She screamed in desperation and greatly increased her magic output. "Sacred Art of the Calamity Goddess! Infernal Cataclysm!" A series of huge explosions were triggered all around me and inside the lower parts of the crater of the volcano, causing lava to erupt all over the area. The destruction and heat generated by her attack seemed to have no effect on me as I remained still amongst all of it.

I finally let her go, after which she launched several more incredible high level magic spells at me, shaking the entire volcano itself, yet failed to do any damage to me. Naturally, there was no point in fighting unlimited magic with her own limited magic. I simply absorbed everything she slung at me. I sensed her rising desperation as she continued to unleash everything she had. She would soon her reach her limits, she just hadn't realised it yet. When that happened, she would resort to means less reliant on raw power. I sensed the idea finally sparking in her head; to use the two Fairy Tail members as hostages. This had gone on for long enough. It was time to put an end to her and finish her once and for all.

A sphere of light appeared, surrounding her entire body until she completely vanished into it. The spell instantly manifested itself purely through my thoughts, without the need of traditionally casting it as a wizard normally would. Once she was fully absorbed by the light, a blinding flash followed, after which the sphere then disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

With Firaea gone for good, the Essence stones' power rapidly begun to fade, and it took only moments before I returned to my regular form again. The laws of nature finally took hold of me again. Time, space, gravity… my body suddenly felt heavy and sluggish as I almost collapsed on the ground. The backlash of being drained of all those powers was immediately taking effect and forced me onto my knees. What was worse, all of my human thoughts, emotions returned to me again. The shock of having killed my own sister was still so fresh in my mind, and it kicked in at full force, now that I had left the divine state. All of memories became clear again… everything I had experienced during my time with Firaea. Even though I could finally rest with her no longer in this world, the memories I had kept coming at me all at once. But one memory in particular kept popping up, over and over again…

: : : ::: : : :

I was travelling over an empty dirt road, just entering this small village that was known to me as my hometown, as the sun was about to set behind the hills. It is where I spent my days as a child. At least, before I and my sister had been taken in by the Blazing Phoenix guild against our will. It had been several years since I had been taken away, and this was my first time since then returning to this place. Despite that, I still recognised every building and road in and around the village. Nothing really seemed to have changed during the period of time I'd been gone. It was enough to send a brief feeling of happiness through me, but I wasn't here for pleasantries. In fact, quite the exact opposite. Something I had to do… for the sake of Myra, whom I had promised to protect, no matter the cost.

It was all the fault of that damned Firaea. She had put us through this. Still, she was so powerful, there was nothing we could do against her. The mere thought of defying her frightened me more than anything. She had been training our magic capabilities for reasons unknown to me, but even with the talent she claimed I had, and years of non-stop working on getting stronger, my power was not even a fraction compared to hers. And now she had sent me on this… mission, if you could even call it that.

I didn't know if it was something that I'd be able to do. It wasn't something I ever would want to do. But knowing that if I failed to do what she told me to would result in Myra getting hurt, or worse, murdered by that volcano spirit was what drove me. I wouldn't allow her to hurt my sister. Even if it meant spilling the blood of others. Even if those others were my own parents.

I sat under the large tree nearby my old house, waiting with a feeling of sickening anxiety in my stomach that grew stronger with the minute. I knew my parents always would always go to sleep after sunset, as they liked to get up early in the morning. As the last rays of sunlight peeked over the hills and the sky slowly turned to darker shades of blue, I knew it would soon be time for me to carry out Firaea's cruel order. I still had a chance to turn my back on her and try running away… but I also knew that she had spies everywhere. I was probably being watched this very moment. And I had no intentions of abandoning Myra. I couldn't just leave her there with Firaea. If I was going to escape, it would be together with her, and only if I could ensure her safety.

The lights in the house were out and it seemed all dark inside. I got up from my position and approached the front door of the house. With the town as small as it is and hardly ever getting visitors from outside, everyone here knew one another, and so the townspeople rarely locked their doors. Carefully, I turned the knob to slowly open the door to prevent it from creaking. To be back in my own house after all this time felt overwhelmingly nostalgic; memories of spending the carefree years of my childhood in here were fresh in my head.

Pushing aside these feelings, I focused on my task and headed to the door leading to the room in which they were sleeping. Again, slowly opening the door to prevent making any noise, I stepped inside and saw their motionless figures lying on their bed. I silently cast Prequip onto myself and took the sword in my unsteady hands. How long had it been since I'd last seen them… at least three years, if I had to guess. Seeing them before me again after all this time crashed all of my momentum. No… no way I was going to be able to do this, I thought to myself. I closed my eyes, not knowing what to do.

"Son…?" I heard my father's voice.

"It… It's really you, my dear Verik?" My mother had also woken up now.

I opened my eyes again and saw them both staring at me in wonder. I wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Completely frozen, I just stood there, looking back at them.

"I can't believe you're finally back!" Mother said, overcome with emotions. "How we've missed you!"

The two came out of bed and approached me. It was like I was in some kind of strange dream. This couldn't be happening to me, right? To be reunited with my parents again; it's what I've always wanted. I stepped forward, toward them.

"Where is Myra?" Father asked.

Hearing that name instantaneously brought me back to the real situation I was in. Right… I was here for her. To protect her from harm as I had promised. I… I had to do this. I tightened the grip on my sword and raised it. The look on my parents' face turned in terror when they saw me move my weapon. "Wh–What are you doing, Son?"

I'm sorry… Father, Mother. I closed my eyes and swung my weapon.

: : : ::: : : :

"Roth…!"

"Please, Roth… wake up."

As if hit by a powerful shock, I suddenly found myself back in the volcano, sitting on my knees. Someone was holding my clammy hands, though my vision was too blurred to make out their face.

"It's OK! I'm here!" It was the voice of a young girl.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and saw the face of a young, blue-haired girl in front of me. Her face looked like it should be familiar to me, though no name came up in my head. She sat in front of me and had her hands gently placed onto mine. Why was she here? What did she want from me?

"Wh–Who are you?" I spoke with broken voice, and then shook her hands off of mine. I didn't want anything to do with this person. But more importantly, I couldn't think of a reason of why she would want anything to do with me.

"Roth. It's me, Wendy. Gajeel also came! Come, we're getting you out of here!" She explained to me, but her words barely reached me. Behind her, I saw some other person standing. Again, a familiar face that I failed to recognise at this moment.

"Just… leave me alone." I answered. I had to get out of here, away from these people. Using the last remains of the God Power inside of me, I shifted my location to someplace outside of the volcano, deep into the woods surrounding it. Being completely drained of my powers, I immediately fell onto the ground. I felt so very tired… I needed to go to sleep. In a matter of seconds, I fell fast asleep.


	86. Chapter 84 - The End Of An Adventure

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 84  
THE END OF AN ADVENTURE**

"Roth!" the kid yelled as he vanished from our sight. She stood up and kept calling him.

"Forget it. He's gone," I said to her and placed my hand on her head.

"No way… what should we do, Gajeel?" she asked, uncertainty seeping from her voice.

"I can't smell his scent, nor sense his magic. He could have disappeared to anywhere…" I answered as I looked up at the opening of the volcano's crater.

"But he needs our help…"

"That might be so, but we're low on supplies. We don't have enough food with us to spend the following days searching for him," I answered plainly. Furthermore, we didn't even know if he was still in the area, or somewhere entirely else. It seemed that mysterious energy which he controlled just earlier allowed him to freely teleport around, something I'd never seen before. "Come, we're not getting anywhere by just standing around here."

She quietly followed, knowing that I was right. I didn't look forward to the walk all the way back over those mountains. It had taken us several days the first time, and that was at a strong pace. As we both left the volcano, I wondered if there was anything we could have done differently… perhaps something that could have altered the outcome of the situation. We got there as fast as we could, and it still hadn't been enough. Then, the cage in which we got trapped that withstood all of our magic attacks; just how strong was that spirit of the volcano, and how did Roth attain the magic energy to defeat it? Having travelled all the way here, only to return empty-handed made me feel like we'd only wasted our time. If there was nothing we could have done, what was even the point? Those thoughts kept plaguing me on the way back. 

* * *

"Gajeel… What do you think happened to Roth?" the pipsqueak timidly asked me when we were in the train back to Magnolia. It was the first time she'd spoken again since we'd left the volcano.

"Hell if I know," I answered bluntly and continued to stare outside. I wasn't very much in the mood to talk, and quite appreciated how quiet she'd been up to this point.

"Do you think he forgot about us? I mean, he has regained his memories… but, that shouldn't mean he has lost those about his time with us? Right?" she continued to talk, despite my response.

"I dunno."

"For some reason, I can't help but have a bad feeling about this, Gajeel," she mumbled, saddened.

"Look, we'll ask for help at the guild. Everything will be okay, got that?" I told her to stop making a fuss about something that was out of our control right now.

"You're right. I'm sure Natsu and the others will help us get him back," she responded with a hopeful smile. The rest of the journey was spent in silence.

Despite my cold act of not caring, I couldn't stop my brain from thinking about what could have happened to him. After all, he was one of the first people in the guild to not treat me like the enemy and include in the guild activities. He had helped me to get along with the other guild members, and even had taken me on his team. I wondered what my life in the guild would have looked like, had he never appeared in the guild. 

* * *

"Well, well. Look who just returned. Where have you guys been?" Cana greeted us as we entered the guild hall. It was nice to be back home after that tiresome trip.

"Hey, shouldn't that Roth guy be with you? He hasn't been here all week," Macao asked.

"Quiet, you. We were going to get to that part," I grunted as I took a place at the bar, where also Makarov was sitting.

"Natsu! You have to help!" Wendy stormed at him the moment she spotted him in the main hall. "Please! Roth's gone missing!"

"Huh? Missing?" Natsu responded in bewilderment.

"Come to think of it, he hasn't shown himself for a while now," Gray stated in thought.

"Please, tell us what happened, Wendy," Lucy said with concern.

"I… I'll try," she said, then proceeded to tell the rest about what we'd witnessed. About the volcano, Roth regaining his memories, how he defeated Firaea and then mysteriously vanished. "Please… Natsu…" Wendy begged, asking for his help with tears filling her eyes.

"Gah! I'll get that jerk back! Don't ya worry, Wendy, I got this!" Natsu exlaimed with his usual overdose of determination.

"Not so fast, Natsu," Erza preemptively grabbed him by his scarf to prevent him from running off already. "We should let Makarov decide on our course of action," she then turned to him. "You did listen to her story, didn't you, Master?"

"The kid finally retrieved what he'd lost. I can imagine he needs some time alone. Having one's head fill up with twenty or something years of memories should be quite a stressful experience. Who knows what he's gone through during all those years, only to remember everything at once again…" Makarov spoke, seemingly slightly absent-minded as he focused his gaze on his glass.

"What you're saying is we shouldn't go after him?" Gray inquired.

"To hell with that! I'm gonna get him back, whether you like it or not!" Natsu protested wildly.

"… But, I can also imagine that he might undergo a difficult time right now, especially if his old memories are filled with sadness and pain. In which case he might need our help," Makarov continued. "Very well. I'll allow five of you to go search for him. Who's up for it?"

"I was already in before you decided!" Natsu exlaimed. "I'm fired up!"

"I'm also coming!" Wendy joined Natsu's side. She should be tired after a week of travelling, but seeing her like this, she seemed to be brimming with energy.

"I'm in," Erza said, before adding, "if only to ensure Natsu doesn't make a mess."

"Good thinking, Erza. In that case, I, as well, will join," Gray said.

"Gajeel. Will you also come? We have one more spot free," the pipsqueak asked me directly.

"Ugh, fine…" I really didn't feel like going back to that place again. Not after just coming back here, but… without him, our team wasn't complete. I couldn't let Salamander's team get the upper hand over us because of a missing member.

"It's settled, then. Good luck to all of you," Makarov said to all of us.

"We're off!" Natsu yelled and bolted towards the exit.

"Hold your horses!" Erza spoke and tackled him with one swift kick and then seated herself on his back as he lied there on the floor. "We need more information first. Gajeel, Wendy, tell us everything you know."

"There ain't much more we can tell you," I said. "He disappeared in front of our eyes without leaving a trace."

"It's true…" Wendy added. "It seemed he had gotten some supernatural power under his control. Something that went beyond the limits of normal kinds of magic."

"Didn't you say he also used that to beat that demi-god thing with those powers? How did he even get those abilities?" Gray inquired.

"I'm sorry, we missed most of it as we were locked inside some cage by the volcano spirit," Wendy timidly answered. "We only got to him after it had already ended. But it seemed the powers were leaving his body when we reached him. He must have used whatever he still had left in him."

"In which case he might not have gotten too far. But it's been what, three days since then?" Gray asked.

"He could be anywhere," I grumbled.

"Actually, it's possible he might have suffered heavily under losing that much power at once. Remember when Wendy was drained of all her magic at the Games? That took her out of action for several days. It's possible Roth is undergoing a similar experience," Erza stated her thoughts.

"You're saying that our best chances of finding him then should be around the volcano?" Wendy asked her with hope in her voice.

"I suggest we split up and search different sections of the area surrounding it. There's a possibility he's on his way back to the guild by the time we actually get there. I want at least two of us scanning the mountains between Mount Firaea and Clover Town..." Erza said as she began to lay out the plan of action.

: : : ::: : : :

I wasn't sure how many days had passed since that day in the volcano. My mind had been a complete blur for the first few days and I had barely been able to move at all. Once I'd finally somewhat recovered, I'd spent most of the days sitting under a tree, taking in all the memories that had been returned to me. I learned much about my own past, about the hardships Firaea had put me through, but the memories of my time at Fairy Tail had also been coming back to me, as things in my head began to organise itself again. Even though those should be my most recent memories, they felt distant to me right now. Right now, all I could think about was how much I hated myself. I had processed most of my memories now, but two of them wouldn't stop haunting me. Knowing that I had murdered my own parents and sister, whom I had sworn to protect… how did I even deserve to live? The pain of losing everything that I had, and all of it by own hands, no less, was more depressing and frustrating than I could handle. Those thoughts stung me like blades on the inside, and yet I wanted to hurt myself more for all I'd done. How was I ever going to atone for my sins? How was I ever going to forgive myself for my mistakes?

Through all of that, I still had to find things to eat to keep myself alive. Through the first few days, I had relied on nothing more but berries from nearby bushes and drinking the water from puddles. Once I'd regained some of my strength, I had occasionally been returning to the volcano to raid the provisions in the living quarters of the remains of the Blazing Phoenix guild. The floors there were scattered with piles of ashes and pieces of burnt clothing of their members, which must have been scorched by Firaea's fire when I entered her domain. I wondered if the other guild members had gone through similar experiences as I had. It's kind of strange thinking about it, but even though we had been called a guild, we had hardly ever worked together as one. Most of the members got assigned a partner and were then sent out on missions, which could sometimes take days or weeks. It was completely different from the way Fairy Tail functioned.

But stealing the leftovers from a dead guild wasn't going to keep me alive forever. I had to think of what to do next. Every time my thoughts wandered in that direction, the idea of going back to Fairy Tail popped up. No, that wasn't something I could do. 

* * *

"Aha! I found you!" a voice said, followed by a figure revealing itself from the bushes.

"Erza…" I muttered when I saw it was her. I cautiously got up from my position under a tree.

"So, it seems you remember us again." She stayed standing there, keeping her distance from me.

"If you came here to get me back to the guild, I'm not coming with you." She didn't respond, like she was waiting for me to explain myself. "If you're not going to talk, then leave," I said, unwilling to.

"What happened to you, Roth?" she simply asked in response.

"I'm not Roth… I may have called myself that during my time in the guild, but… it's not my name. Nor do I want to associate myself with that name any longer."

"Then, what should I call you?"

"I… I don't know," I answered honestly. Both the name that was given to me at birth, as well as the name I given myself had been tainted beyond chance of recovery by my own actions.

"Master Makarov was right," Erza sighed. "You do need our help. If words aren't going to make you come back, then I'll take you back by force!" Without warning, she Requipped her Heaven's Wheel armour.

"Don't think I'm still the same person. I won't lose to you," I said as I took on a combative stance. I refused to use my Prequip, as that was the one spell that had spilled the blood of those dearest to me. But even without that, I knew I had gotten a lot stronger after having my previous combat experience merge with what I'd gained during my time in Fairy Tail.

Erza came at me, dual wielding two of her silver swords. Without a weapon of my own to use, I had to create one on the spot. "Lightning Rod!" A pole of lightning magic materialised in my hands and immediately used it to quickly block Erza's swords with. I wasn't hugely experienced in fighting using this thing, but it was relatively light and easy to wield. Even though I deflected her hits, she directly charged at me again, this time more fiercely than before. She was remarkably swift, but every time our weapons clashed, my rod would send a short shock through her, crippling her speediness. It was the only way for me to go toe to toe with her.

She retreated by jumping backwards, and then changed armour. "Requip: Lightning Empress Armour! Are you sure about this? I don't want to hurt you, but as it stands, you leave me no choice!"

"I've already told you: I have no intentions on going back. The things I have done… they cannot be forgiven."

"Nonsense! All of us have done things we regret; things we'd rather forget about for good. Overcoming those is what makes us strong! You, Roth, are weak!" She viciously pointed her war spear at me. "Did you forget the promise you made me on Tenrou Island!? Has that no value to you!?"

"That was a long time ago. It doesn't matter anymore."

"I'm disappointed in you, Roth. I thought you to be stronger than this. I thought I could trust you. But you've proven me wrong."

"…" I had nothing to say to that.

"However, I didn't come here for myself," Erza continued. "Your teammates want you back. Your disappearance has broken Wendy's heart. And, despite him not wanting to openly admit it, I'm sure Gajeel misses you, too. They were the ones closest to you, in the guild."

"We're no longer a team. They'll be fine without me," I replied plainly.

"How can you say that? Do they mean nothing to you!?" Erza looked like she was about to attack me once again.

"It doesn't matter, because I'm leaving the guild."

"You're… what?" Her eyes widened in shock and she loosened her stance.

"Henceforth, I'm no longer a member of Fairy Tail!"


	87. Chapter 85 - Into The Wilderness

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 85  
INTO THE WILDERNESS**

"You're leaving… Fairy Tail?" I asked him. What was he thinking?

"Erza," he spoke. The next moment, his body changed into lightning itself, dashing in a straight line at me at a speed faster than my eyes could follow. Right before me, he turned back normal and planted his fist in my gut with overwhelming power and speed. I… I totally had not seen that coming. How careless of me, letting down my guard like that… I fell down, my vision blackened, as my consciousness was beginning to fade. "Tell the others I won't be coming back." I could hear his voice, followed by footsteps that rapidly disappeared into the distance. Dammit, he was getting away. I couldn't afford to let him go now, or we might not be able to find him back.

Gathering my strength, I got on my feet again, still feeling shaky from that punch of him. I looked around me, but couldn't find any trace of him. I reached for the flare gun that I'd brought and fired a shot into the air. I didn't think I was going to be able to track him down so easily in my current state, but Natsu and Wendy should be able to do it with their exceptional sense of smell. I sat myself down and focused on my breathing to calm down after that encounter with Roth while I waited for the others to come to my location. To think he deflected all of my attacks so well, his strength has grown tremendously with his memories regained. I thought I would've been able to overpower him using my standard techniques as I used to be able to, but it seems I'd gone too soft on him, and now we were paying the price for it. 

* * *

"Everything's okay, Miss Erza?" Wendy came rushing in several minutes after I fired the signal flare. She looked worried.

"Ah, Wendy. You got here fast. Where's Natsu?" I inquired, getting straight to business.

"I don't know. We separated a while ago to speed up our search. I wonder if he has seen the signal…"

"We don't have the time to wait on him. Wendy, I need your help," I said. Wendy gave me a nod as she listened. "Roth's gone. He left here only a short while ago. Can I rely on you on tracking him down?"

"You let him go, huh?" Natsu made his appearance, smiling. "That's not like you, Erza."

"This isn't the time for that, Natsu. You've heard what I said, so get on it before we lose him," I said with utmost seriousness. The two Dragon Slayers sniffed the air and then quickly went on their way, both running in the same direction. They were moving fast, I had trouble not losing sight of them, though, having my stomach still hurting badly from that punch earlier didn't exactly help. I didn't know what Roth was planning on doing, but we might still have a chance to find him back. And if we'd catch up to him again, I'd give it my all in a battle this time.

After a short while, we reached a stream of water where the two Dragon Slayers halted and raised their noses in the air again to search for a trace. It seems he must have travelled a distance through the water, no wonder they were having trouble picking up his scent. Not too far away, after running across the water, they came across footsteps left behind in the soil on the other side of the stream, and from there, quickly continued their frenzied hunt. However, only several hundreds of metres further, behind a large tree, the trail abruptly ended…

"What's this?" Natsu said when all we found were Roth's shirt, jeans and shoes.

"Why would he…?" Wendy said in wonder.

"Of course... he must've known we would send Dragon Slayers after him." I said when I came to the realisation. "He left his own clothes behind to trick your senses into believing he went in this direction."

"However, there are no footsteps or any other traces of him leaving this location," Wendy noticed after observing the ground.

"What!? When did he get this smart!?" Natsu exclaimed in utter shock.

"Lightning Step..." I muttered in thought. "That's his one technique to cover distances without leaving traces behind. Then, he must have used the water of the river to cleanse himself to minimise the chances we would pick up his scent without clothes on. That's some quick thinking on his part."

"Why…? Why is he doing this?" Wendy said on the verge of crying.

"When I met him, before he ran away, he said to me he left the guild," I answered in defeat. I had hoped I could have avoided this situation, but having lost track of him here, there was no point in keeping it from the others any longer.

"Say what!?" Natsu yelled. His shrieking voice scared away all the birds resting in the trees in the area.

"Roth… left?" Wendy said with a look of disbelief in her eyes and fell on her knees.

"His last words were that… he wasn't going to come back." To bring the news like this, it wasn't easy. For me, too, reality began to kick in. We were really losing him. I wanted to curse myself for having let him go. "I'm sorry, you guys. For not being able to stop him when I had the chance."

"It ain't your fault, Erza," Natsu softly said, laying one hand on my shoulder.

"I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. I guess he really did become a different person upon recovering his memories," I said in disappointment and looked away, ashamed of myself for having letting things come to this.

"Hm? What's this?" Natsu said and bent down to pick up something from the clothes left behind by Roth. "This looks like your handwriting, Wendy." He had taken a note from a pocket and handed it to her.

"The recipe!?" she uttered when she saw it.

"Huh?" I responded in confusion.

"I wrote it for him that day we made that cake for you, Erza…" Recollecting those memories were starting to make her sob, her tears falling onto the piece of paper in her hands.

"That does it! I'm gonna sock him one, next time he shows himself!" Natsu exclaimed in a tantrum and stomped the ground with his feet.

"What's that other thing you're holding there, Natsu?" I asked, referring to another paper he clutched in one of his fists.

"Oh, this?" Natsu immediately calmed down and took a look at what he was holding. The paper was completely wrinkled and had its edges frayed after the rough treatment by Natsu's fist, but it still clearly showed the sketch that was made on it. There was no doubt about it, this was something only Reedus could have drawn.

"Why would he have brought this with him?" I wondered aloud. "I mean, it's not like he planned on leaving the guild before he even recovered his memories, right?"

"Not that I know of," Natsu said. He and I then looked at Wendy. Perhaps she knew, since, as his teammate, she had been closest to him. But she silently shook her head, not knowing either.

"Well, it's getting dark soon. I guess there's nothing more we can do now. We'd best hurry back to Gray and Gajeel and tell them the news, and then head back to the guild to discuss our next course of action," I said as I observed the darkening sky.

"I refuse to accept this," Natsu growled, but didn't make any attempts to run off without us. "Come, Wendy. We're going." He offered her his hand as she was still sitting on the ground. She wiped the tears from her face, and then took his hand. With feelings of emptiness and defeat inside of us, we made our way through the forest. Occasionally, Natsu and Wendy would attempt to use their noses in the hopes to catch a trace of Roth, but they had no luck whatsoever.

: : : ::: : : :

As the sky darkened with the sun behind the horizon, I continued my path through the stream. This water flowed from the mountains and was ice cold, making my bare feet completely numb after running through it for this long. I used Lightning Step as often as I could muster, but I was close to being fully drained from magic at this point. However, I still hadn't caught any sign of being followed by Erza or other members of the guild after leaving all of my clothes, apart from my pair of boxers, behind. I guessed my decoy had done the trick and they must have lost track of me, if Erza had even attempted to go after me after I'd knocked her out in the first place.

I Lightning Stepped away from the water, a short distance away from the stream, and settled myself on a patch of grass, surrounded by some bushes. This should make for a decent hiding place for the night. I'd have loved to make a fire to warm up my icy feet, but I didn't want to risk being spotted in case they were still actively searching for me. I sighed heavily when I finally sat down and could rest my legs. Many thoughts went through my head as I went on to process the events of today. I hadn't really expected Fairy Tail to come search for me, then again, I haven't really had much chance to think about the guild in the first place these past few days. I wondered who else they had sent after me… it couldn't have been just Erza.

For a moment, the thought whether or not I had made the right decision crossed my mind, but it was far too late for that now; there was no point in dwelling on that. I no longer could bring myself to associate myself with the person I used to be during my time in that guild. Neither could I with the person I used to be before that time. I'd never be able to pay for the terrible things I've done, nor was there anything I could do to regain what I'd lost… therefore, it would be best to cut all ties with the past and start anew. 

* * *

I woke up early that next morning, after a somewhat restless night. Ever since I had gotten my memories back, I'd had trouble staying asleep for extended periods of time. I often woke up multiple times in the middle of the night, and then had trouble falling back asleep. It didn't seem the past was willing to let go of me, at least not while it was still fresh in my head. But tonight had been worse due to my lack of clothing, and my feet were still numb from the cold. I massaged them for a while to try to warm them up a bit.

Also, without being able to rely on the provisions from the guild in the volcano, I had to think of other ways to obtain my food. I knew I couldn't just continue to live on a diet of berries, either, my weight has already gone considerably down these past few days, and given how I never was that heavy for someone my height to begin with, that couldn't be considered a good thing. I should probably try my hand at hunting or something, so I'd have some meat to eat. Furthermore, there was the possibility Erza and others from Fairy Tail were still looking for me. I had to start to get moving.

I splashed some water from the stream over my skin to wash myself, but with how cold it was, it wasn't exactly a very pleasant experience. Still, I couldn't be careful enough. At least the sun would rise soon, and then things would finally warm up. Without any possessions to worry about bringing with me, I immediately left after that, Lightning Stepping a distance away from the stream and continuing my way into another direction.

As I travelled through the wilderness, my thoughts began to wander about what to do with my future from this point on. I had decided on starting to live a new life, but how was I going to make that work? Should I just stay away from people and live peacefully in solitude… was that something I could do? At least, that way, I wouldn't be able to hurt others anymore, something I've done far too much of already. My thinking got interrupted by my growling stomach, that's when I realised I hadn't eaten a thing yet. If I was going to survive in the wilderness, I should try my hand at hunting animals, but now that I thought some more about it, that might be easier said than done, as I knew next to nothing on how to go about it.

I stood still and looked around me, observing my surroundings. The forest was pretty much quiet apart from the singing of birds that were hiding in the trees. Grass, bushes and trees as far as the eye could see from here. How was I going to find wild animals? I knew some hunters preferred to use traps, but that seemed even more complicated than actively hunting for them. Being able to use magic should give me a huge edge, but it was no use if I couldn't find any animals to use it on… perhaps I should try tracking. Yet, as I began to scour the ground for trails left behind by the wildlife, I already knew this was never going to work. There was nothing but grass and leaves, how was I supposed to find anything in this? I could try using bait, but I had nothing on me that I could lure them in with. This was absolutely hopeless.

* * *

I aimlessly wandered around some more, until after an hour or something, I finally spotted two deer in the distance. With how the colour of their fur blended with their surroundings, I was surprised I'd actually managed to notice them before scaring them off. Immediately, I lowered myself onto my belly and slowly crawled closer to where the two animals were standing. It seemed they were eating or something, but didn't look like they had noticed me yet. As I came closer, I made my breathing slower to avoid making noise and help me concentrate. I was not ten metres away now, quietly watching them from under the bush where I was hiding. This was going to be my moment to strike.

Suddenly, the deer lifted their heads, as if they'd heard something, and in a matter of seconds, they had run off. I couldn't allow my prey to escape like that, and I prepared to use Lightning Step to chase after them. It was then that I received a painful knock on the top of my head…


	88. Halloween Special - House Of Horrors

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **HALLOWEEN SPECIAL  
HOUSE OF HORRORS**

"Raargh! I'm a zombie!" Natsu slowly approached with an unsteady gait, his arms stretched forward, and drool coming out of his mouth.

"No, you're not, moron. Now, get away from me, or I'll freeze your head off," I spoke with a sigh, tired of his annoying antics.

"Zombie eat brains! Graah!" In an instant, he had my head between his jaws and began chewing on it. I could feel his saliva dripping all over my face. "Pft!" Natsu quickly retreated, spitting on the floor. "I shoulda known, that ice clown has no brains, not to mention tastes worse than Macao's cooking."

"Will you two knock it off already?" Erza said as she punched Natsu in the face, sending him flying into a table elsewhere before he could even follow her order.

"Hey, I didn't even do anything." I defended myself before I began to wipe my face clean with the shirt that I... oh, where did that go?

"Don't play innocent, Gray! Why were your clothes inside the girl's dormitory?" Erza accosted me, offering me an evil glare that was hard not to flinch away from.

"Geez, how should I know?" I said, wishing she would just give me a break already. It was bad enough my clothes tended to get lost due to my stripping habit, but it was worse when they were found in places where they shouldn't be. I could think of only one person who would bring them to a place like Fairy Hills...

"Anywho, put them back on, or you're going to set a bad example for the younger ones in the guild." Erza forcefully shoved my clothes in my face so I couldn't possibly miss them.

"Yeah, they'd be better off watching me," Natsu grinned, returning from his swift but painful trip through half of the guild hall.

"If you want them to end up as maniacs, that is," I fired back at him as I put my clothes back on. "What's with the zombie act, anyway?"

"Didn't you know? It's Halloween today," Lucy filled me in.

"Don't you get scared really easily, Lucy? Remember when-" Happy flew around her head, but she smacked him before he could finish his sentence.

"Oh, so that's Natsu's excuse to be extra annoying. Great," I sighed and leaned my head on my hand. 

* * *

"Eek!" A loud shriek filled the guild hall that moment, drawing all attention to where Cana was sitting. Underneath her table was a terrified Wendy sitting, shaking in fear.

"Hey, I was only telling her a ghost story," she said with a relaxed grin on her face. "Besides, somebody's gotta set the mood! After all, it's Halloween." The guild gave her somewhat of an angry look for scaring Wendy like that, though a few were amused by the drunkard's usual escapades. "You guys are no fun. Fine, I'll go back to drinking booze," she grumbled, picking up the barrel right next to her seat and giving it a swift chug.

"No, I think Cana's got the right idea," Mirajane spoke up, smiling excitedly.

"What are you suggesting, Mira?" Macao asked her, brows raised as the demoness got herself involved in the Halloween mayhem.

"It's true the guild has always done something to celebrate Halloween. It's just that this year..." Wakabe began.

"The guild's been so busy with the Grand Magic Games, working on rebuilding their reputation and dealing with the loss of a member..." Droy finished, a frown marring his face.

"All the more reason to celebrate, I say!" Mirajane exclaimed, not letting her positive attitude falter.

"What are we gonna do!?" Romeo grinned, jumping up and down, hardly being able to contain his excitement.

"Well, last year we ended up destroying over half of the guild hall..." Mirajane said in thought.

"As usual," I said under my breath.

"... so, perhaps something that we can do outside the guild?" she suggested.

"I don't care what it is, as long as I get to beat up Laxus and Gajeel," Natsu said with his arms crossed.

"It's not going to involve any fighting, obviously. How dumb can you be?" I commented with a sigh. With the amount of stupidity coming from that flaming idiot every time he opened his mouth, I was going to run out of sighs sooner or later.

"There will be a competition," Cana said decidedly, as if she already had an idea in her head.

"Really? What's it gonna be?" Natsu asked eagerly.

"We'll make teams and go trick-or-treating. Whoever collects the most sweets wins before the clock hits twelve," she said.

"Sounds manly! I'm all for it!" Elfman smiled and gave her idea a thumbs up.

"Trick-or-treating? Isn't that for the kids?" I asked, skeptical about the idea.

"Exactly, that's what makes it more challenging," Cana explained. "There will also be a punishment for the losing team. One more thing, stealing from the opponent is allowed, but no fighting! We don't want to destroy any part of the town, got it?"

"I'm joining big bro, Natsu!" Romeo decided in an instant.

"Kyahahaha! We ain't losing this! There'll be nothing left for the rest of you, we're gonna plunder the entire city!" Natsu laughed maniacally. "Come, Happy, Romeo! We ain't got no time to lose!" With that, they stormed out of the guild hall.

"If we're going trick-or-treating, we'd better dress up properly! Everyone on my team, follow me!" Erza said, waiting for people to join her side.

I was hesitating whether or not to go with Erza. She sure was serious about this game, but I knew how crazy she was when it came to the subject of costumes...

"Gray!" an all too familiar voice shouted. Her arms wrapped around my torso before I could turn around. Of course, it was Juvia. "We're on the same team, right?" she spoke to me from behind. With as close as she was, I felt the warmth of her breath on my neck.

"If you insist. But please let me go," I spoke as calmly as I could. Luckily, she listened and let me free; probably happy enough that I let her come with me.

"I guess I'll come with you guys," Gajeel said with a rather uninterested look on his face.

"You sure you don't wanna go with Levy?" I asked, lightly teasing him.

"Nah, she's already gone on an all girls team," he replied. I looked at a corner of the guild hall where some of the girls had gathered, including Levy. Jet and Droy were in tears and begging Levy to join them instead.

"May I join, as well?" Wendy asked. She had only just now crouched from under the table she had been used as hiding place all this time.

"Sure. Having you on the team should increase our chances of scoring sweets," I said. "We're going to need every advantage we can get if we want to not lose against Natsu."

"Does that mean our team should also dress up? I mean, that's part of trick-or-treating, right?" Wendy asked.

"Correct," I said, even though I didn't want to admit it because it would take a fair bit of extra time to get us all ready. That said, it should give us the edge over Natsu and Romeo, who went out with just their regular clothes on. The idiots...

"We're all done?" I asked after dressing myself in a long, black and crimson cloak that was supposed to make me look like an evil vampire lord.

"I think so," Wendy said, somewhat timidly. She wore a long, white gown with a hood much to large for her, going over most of her face. If I had to guess, she was going for a ghostly look. Carla, who was with her, still wore her regular clothing, she probably was just coming along to keep an eye out on Wendy.

"Let's go," Gajeel said, wearing a traditional knight's armour, including a great helm, with only his long hair sticking out at the back. Must be feeling pretty comfortable for him, since it's all made of metal. He was followed by Lily, who was in his battle form, and wearing a similar set of armour.

"Oh, my! You're so handsome, my dear!" Juvia stormed at me. She was wearing surprisingly little, but the devil-like tail she had revealed she was definitely a succubus.

"Yes, we'll be going. But please let me go," I said to her. And it wouldn't be the last time I was going to say that this night; of that I was sure.

"We'd better hurry. Salamander's already got a big head start on us," Gajeel commented. Without wasting anymore time, we ran out of the guild hall, into the dark of the early night. Well, it would've been dark if it hadn't been for the orange glow coming from the jack-o'-lanterns that were scattered all across the town. It gave off somewhat of an eerie vibe, but that was all part of the celebration. 

* * *

"Oh, you guys! Gray! Wait up!" Lucy, dressed as an Egyptian princess, shouted and came running at us.

"Lucy? What's up?" We turned around to see what she wanted from us.

"Grr... love rival," Juvia scowled at the sight of her, and her look worsened when she noticed Lucy's rather revealing chest area, and protectively latched on to one of my arms as to claim I was hers and definitely not Lucy's.

"I was going to join the girls team, but they all left before I could finish dressing up... so, please, may I join your team?" she asked, slightly out of breath from the running.

"Fine by me," I answered casually. Though I knew Juvia wasn't going to like it, I wasn't just going to leave out a good friend like that.

"Yay! With seven, our chances to win should be even bigger!" Wendy smiled happily.

"We sure are lucky to have you on the team," I said, looking at her. "After all, trick-or-treating isn't something people our age generally do."

"We're counting on you, Wendy," Lucy said cheerfully. "But don't worry! We might be a little over the average age limit, but we won't be idly sitting on the sidelines and letting you do all the work, right, guys?"

Of all the people on the team, Gajeel was the first to respond to that. "Of course not. Leave the stealing up to us, geehee," he said with a mean grin.

"Remember, no fighting, Gajeel," Juvia reminded him.

"I'm going ahead and go visit the houses in this area!" Wendy said and ran off to do her part.

"We probably shouldn't let her wander off on her own too far, or else she might get picked off by the others," Lily commented. He had a good point. We should definitely be trying to protect her. 

* * *

A pretty uneventful few hours later, we had collected a good bag of sweets. As expected, Wendy was our greatest contributor, but even Lucy and Juvia had managed to score a portion to add to our stash. For some reason, Gajeel and I hadn't been particularly successful...

"We might have to return to the guild hall soon. It'll be midnight in less than an hour," I mentioned while we walked through the dark streets of Magnolia. Most of the townspeople had already gone to bed, so the chances of finding more houses to visit was significantly smaller than earlier on.

"Yes, I'm tired," Wendy said and took a moment to rest her tired legs.

"Good job, everyone. We're sure to win this!" Lucy smiled and took a spot to sit next to Wendy.

"Too bad we never ran into Salamander or any of the other idiots," Gajeel grumbled.

"Oh, but you did run right into my trap!" a voice from the darkness called.

"Freed!?" I looked around, but saw nothing but an emptry street stretched out before me.

"I've strategically placed barriers all across the city." He made his appearance, with Bixlow standing behind him, grinning and sticking out his tongue as he usually did.

"If you were thinking of taking from us, think again!" I said, prepared to defend our team's bag of sweets, but for some reason, my movements felt extremely sluggish. Meanwhile, Freed entered the barrier without any problem. It was like our entire team was moving in slow motion while he effortlessly took the bag out of Wendy's hands.

"Don't worry, we won't be taking everything. That would hardly be fair, now would it? Just enough to ensure our victory in this competition. There." He took like over half of the contents, adding them to their team's bag and stepped out of the barrier before we had even managed to finish our initial reaction.

"That's low!" Gajeel growled, frustrated by having to helplessly watch Freed take most of our sweets.

"Just be grateful I didn't write cage enchantments, or you wouldn't even be able to get back to the guild hall in time!" Freed chuckled lightly, and with that, he left us struggling with the slowing effect of his barrier.

"First... let's get out... of here." Lucy was using all her strength to try to move as quickly as she could, but no matter what we tried, we were stuck moving at a snail's pace inside Freed's enchantment. 

* * *

We finally got ourselves out of that barrier after what seemed like an eternity, but it wasn't over just yet. We still had to return to the guild hall before the clock would hit twelve.

"Come on, you guys! If we head back now, we might run into the others and steal back what's ours!" I said in an attempt to encourage our team.

"They'll pay, for sure." Gajeel said, slamming his fist into his palm.

"Juvia will do whatever you need her to do, my love," Juvia said while following us back to the guild hall. While she could be difficult to handle, at least she was sure to give it her all as long as I told her to do it.

"There are some!" Lucy said, pointing straight in front us, as we neared the guild hall. There was the girl's group standing, looking like they, too, were about to return to the guild.

"Let's take from them!" Gajeel smirked and charged at them, turning his arms into metal poles.

"Show no mercy!" I shouted and conjured an icy greatsword in my hands. "Ice Make: Excalibur!"

"Oh ho ho. Not so fast. No fighting, remember?" Cana stood at the front, unfazed by the look of our attacks. Her sudden reminder stopped us dead in our tracks, as we came back to our senses.

"I'm sorry, Gajeel, but... Solid Script: Hole!" Levy casted her spell and all of a sudden, the ground beneath our feet vanished in an instant and we fell into a pitch black hole.

What? They had been waiting for us to pass through here all this time!? I couldn't believe it... They had this all planned out from the beginning.

"Of course, with Wendy on your team, you guys had an enormous advantage over the others. Anyway, we'll be taking whatever you have left. Good luck!" Cana said with a smug grin as she took our bag.

"Aw, man, we totally lost, didn't we?" I said as I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment when we finally got into the guild hall. The other teams had already returned and were busy comparing their loot to the others to see who had collected the most.

"Oh, no. Does this mean we have to undergo punishment?" Wendy asked, somewhat frightened by the idea.

"Where's Salamander?" Gajeel inquired after he scanned the guild hall for a sign of his rival.

"He hasn't returned, but for all we know, he fell asleep somewhere on the way back," Cana replied. "We don't know the winner yet, but it's clear that your team is the loser in this competition!" She held her index finger pointed at his chest, and showed the meanest look I'd ever seen on her face.

"Well, what did you have in mind... for the losing team?" I asked her, hoping she would just get on with it, but clearly she wanted to rub the loss in our faces before doing so.

"If it involves separating Juvia from Gray, Juvia's afraid she won't cooperate." Juvia said decisively.

"Quite the opposite, in fact! The losing team has to..." she raised her arms, and at that very moment, lightning flashed up the entire guild hall, followed by a loud rumbling. "... spend one whole night in the haunted, abandoned house outside of the city!"

"Eek!" Wendy cowered in fear by the mere thought of it.

"Ohh, yes~, many souls have entered the house, yet none have ever made it out alive. The question is, will you?" Cana continued to tease us with this nonsense. "Tales of strange, otherworldly noises coming from inside it at night are widespread amongst the citizens of Magnolia. Even wild animals don't dare venture close to it."

"Oh, no. I'm getting scared, too. What will we do, Gray?" Lucy's voice was shaky.

"Gray getting to spend an entire night with her? Unacceptable!" Juvia spoke angrily under her breath.

"Don't worry, Juvia. You, too, are going in there. Along with you two!" Cana pointed at Gajeel and his overgrown cat, Lily.

"I don't care. Just bring us there already; I wanna go to sleep," Gajeel said, not showing any sign of intimidation by her story. 

* * *

We were standing in front of the house that Cana was talking about. It was a little smaller than I thought it would be; calling it a house was a bit much, it was more like a wooden shack from the little I could see of it in this darkness.

"This is it," she said. "Also known as the House of Horrors, or the House of No Return. We'll have Freed cast a barrier that will prevent anything inside from escaping until sunrise. I wish you all a good night." She watched us enter the mysterious cabin one by one. The interior was even darker, there really was nothing we could see in here.

"One more tip if you wish to survive, don't make any light. That will only attract the demons that dwell in this place, looking to devour the poor souls courageous enough to enter this forsaken place." With a laugh, Cana closed the door behind us and we could hear Freed setting up the barrier around the house.

"Great," I sighed. I didn't believe a word of what Cana said, but it still sucked to be stuck in a place as dark and cold as this.

"I'm so scared, Carla. Where are you?" Wendy said.

"Right here, child. You shouldn't listen to that woman. It's clearly all lies." Carla didn't sound afraid in the slightest and tried to offer her support.

"I wish I had a companion at times like these," Lucy said.

"You called, Miss Lucy? I'll gladly keep you company," a new voice said. That had to be Loke, but I couldn't see a thing in this darkness.

"My love, where are you?" Juvia's voice could be heard in another corner, sounding like she was lost. I stayed quiet so she wouldn't cling to me all night.

An hour or so passed. We had agreed to try and fall asleep, but it wasn't easy on this hard, wooden floor.

"Lucy... are you sleeping? Gray?" Wendy's voice was filled with uneasiness.

"Trying to..." I mumbled.

"I can't sleep," she spoke softly.

"Talking won't-" My sentence was cut off by a loud knock coming from outside the house.

"Ah! What's that noise!?" Lucy shrieked in fear.

"Oh, no!? Are they coming for us!?" Wendy panicked. "Carla, please, wake up!"

"Gray, what was that?" Juvia had woken up, too.

"Geez, how should I know? Probably just Cana trying to scare us," I answered, though I had to admit it managed to scare me a little. A silence, only interrupted by the rhythm of Gajeel's snoring filled the room. Not a minute had passed when there was another knocking sound. Something was definitely pounding on the door or a wall of this shack.

"What should we do...?" Lucy asked, but her voice was so shaky at this point, it was hard to understand what she was saying.

"Whatever's on the other side, it'll regret coming in here." I said as I prepared myself for combat. The hammering on the door continued, growing louder with every hit. It might be struggling breaking through Freed's barrier, I thought.

With a deafening crash, the door broke into smithereens. This was it! "Ice Make: Hammer!" I immediately leaped forward, smashing the hammer at the silhouette standing in the door opening.

"Ow, that hurts!" a familiar voice cried out in pain.

"Oh, no! Burglars in the house again?" Happy's voice followed.

"What are you doing here!?" I exclaimed in utter confusion when I saw it was that fire idiot who stood before us.

"No, what are you doin' here?" Natsu responded, rubbing the bump on his head. "This is my house, don't you know?" Creating a flame in the palm of his hand, he lit up the room so we could properly see our surroundings.

"Natsu!" Lucy and Wendy yelled in unison.

"Yo, Lucy! Wendy!" He greeted them with a big grin. "Why are all you guys here?"

"But Cana said this place was abandoned? I'm so confused," Wendy responded in surprise.

"Come to think of it, you never actually showed me where you live, Natsu," Lucy stated her thoughts. "I had no idea that it was here."

"That's because your place is so much more convenient," Natsu laughed. "By the way, why is that metal freak sleeping in my bed?"

"Ugh... what's with all the noise? Is it too much to ask for all of you morons to shut up for a moment?" Gajeel grunted sleepily.

"Anyway, I came here since the guild hall was already closed. Turned out the game finished one hour before I got back. Too bad, since we would have won with the number of sweet Romeo and I managed to collect," Natsu explained. "But since we're all here, how about a round of ghost stories?" he grinned. All of us heavily sighed at the thought of it. We surely have had our fill of anything Halloween related after a night like this.


	89. Chapter 86 - Rage

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 86  
RAGE**

"Stranger!" a loud voice yelled.

In an instant I looked over my shoulder, and saw a young boy standing behind me, his face a mix of wonder and excitement. He looked significantly younger than Wendy, putting him at least below ten years old. His long, messy hair was bright orange coloured. As clothes, he wore what looked to be the hide of a bear, with like half of it dragging behind him over the ground, as it was far too large for his tiny figure. Was this the kid that punched me? He sure is stronger than he looks…

"…" I wasn't sure how to react to this. I had wanted to yell at whoever made me lose my prey, but this was just a child. What was he doing here, in the middle of nowhere?

"Name be Rage! What yours?" the kid exclaimed his name proudly and pointed at himself with his thumb as he did.

"I'm… I don't know." I wasn't sure how to answer. I stood up and dusted the leaves and dirt off my body. "Just call me whatever you like."

"You no know name? Rage confused…" the kid looked at me in bewilderment. "Know what? Rage call you Buddy! So you no longer be stranger! We be buddies now!"

"I suppose that's fine with me. So, what are you doing here, Rage?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Rage live here! Come!" he gestured for me to follow and then ran the other way. "Rage show home to Buddy!" he yelled as he was running.

I hesitated for a moment, but I was intrigued by this mysterious child that had made such a sudden appearance, and it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go anyway. 

* * *

"This be Rage home!" Rage said when we arrived at a cave entrance, somewhat hidden behind a layer of vines and plants. It didn't seem very big at first, but a short crawl through the tunnel connected to the entrance and we came into a fairly spacious room. Inside, a fire was burning, providing warmth and light. The floor was rough for my bare feet, but there were several animal hides spread across it that were soft to move over. The corners were scattered with all kinds of bones in all sorts of shapes and sizes. On the walls there seemed to be some attempts at drawings of people and animals, but they were nothing more than simplistic stick figures. It certainly was an interesting place…

"You live here all by yourself?" I asked him after I had a look through the cavern.

"Rage do! But… Rage welcome Buddy to live with Rage!" he answered with a big grin, revealing that he was missing several teeth.

"I don't know about living here, but I might stay for the night," I replied in honesty. I didn't know what the deal was with this kid. Why did he live here alone? How was he surviving in complete wilderness all on his own?

Suddenly, a loud grumbling noise could be heard through the cave. It was then that I realised that was my own stomach, still unhappy that it had been empty for so long now. It was followed by a second grumbling sound that, this time, seemed to be coming from Rage.

"No worry! Rage have food!" From under a pile of leaves in a corner, Rage pulled two absurdly large sized chunks of cooked meat, handing me one of them. Even though I was pretty hungry at this point, I doubted I could eat all of this in one go. Without giving it any more thought, I began to feast on what had been given to me. It was probably the best thing I'd tasted this entire week.

In the end, I hadn't even managed to finish even half of the chunk when I was feeling I neared the limits of what my stomach would allow, but meanwhile, Rage had already eaten the whole thing as if it was nothing. He burped loudly and threw the leftover bones somewhere on the already existing pile, adding to its growth.

"How did you get this?" I asked in wonder, referring to the meat, after we'd finished our meal.

"Rage hunt! Animal, monster, Rage not care!" he simply answered.

"Using your bare hands?" I then asked, wondering about his methods, as I hadn't seen him carry any weapons or having any lie around in his cavern.

"Rage burn!" As he spoke those words, his body lit on fire and a burst of flames came from him. "Also punch!" he added.

So, the kid was a wizard, and a pretty powerful one at that if he was able to slay large creatures without problems at his age. Somehow, he reminded me a little of Natsu. His fire magic, that carefree grin, his endless energy.

"Rage saw Buddy hunt," the kid blurted out. "But Rage say Buddy suck at hunt."

"Well, thanks for that. I was trying to get better at it until you ruined it," I countered.

"No matter. Rage show Buddy to hunt. Come!" he said and proceeded to leave the cave. "Hunt before dark is best." I followed him outside the cave. Going by the stance of the sun in the sky, it was about noon. It should still be hours before the sun would start to set. 

* * *

We continued to walk through the forest, seemingly going nowhere. Rage was not making attempts to be quiet whatsoever, stamping his feet wherever he went, making me wonder if he actually knew what he was doing. An hour or something must have passed and we hadn't come across any wildlife yet, as it was probably alerted by our presence before we'd get the chance to even see it. What was this kid doing?

It was until we came across another cave that Rage stopped moving and turned to face me. "Prey in here. Hunt start now," he said without bothering to lower his voice.

"Oohh! Tasty humans, lucky day!" A large, green furred, gorilla-like creature emerged from the cave and stared at the two of us with hungry eyes, licking his lips.

"Watch and learn!" Rage exclaimed and faced his prey fearlessly, despite barely reaching to the height of its knees. "Burn!" he shouted and stretched his arms in front of him. A large ball of fire was launched from both his hands and exploded in the face of the vulcan. As the prey staggered after being hit by such a blow, Rage followed up with a series of punches aimed at its gut. He finished it with an uppercut to the jaw, knocking the vulcan out cold. While it laid unconsciously on the ground, Rage smashed its skull, making sure it wouldn't wake up again. His methods were pretty blunt and brutal, but effective at the same time.

"Ugh. Now we return," Rage grunted as he grabbed one of the vulcan's legs, placing it over its shoulder and began to drag the huge body behind him. Now I understood why Rage had wanted to go this early. Taking back the prey to the cave could take a while at this pace. I offered to help carry the vulcan, but Rage insisted on doing it all by himself, claiming it was his prey, so it was his task to bring it back home. 

* * *

Even with the strength he possessed, he was quite out of breath when we finally made it back. He placed the body in front of the entrance and moved behind it to push it through the tunnel into his living room. I could hear some of the bones in the vulcan's limbs cracking as it was forced through the tunnel that was a little bit tight for a prey this size, but Rage continued to push until he succeeded.

"Enough food for two days!" Rage huffed with a smile, exhausted from the hunt. "Maybe one. Since Rage share with Buddy now."

"Two weeks you mean, surely?" But as I said that, I remembered how Rage effortlessly ate that oversized chunk of meat earlier today, and realised that he was probably right when he said two days.

"Buddy thinks too small. Need to eat more. Eat more, grow strong," Rage replied. He began to sink his teeth into the vulcan and then slowly strip the fur off its body.

"Rage… what are you doing?" I asked, confused by his methods.

"Phew!" Rage spit out a tuft of fur. "Buddy wait and see." He answered and then went back to doing whatever he was doing. I sat myself down on one of the animal hides on the ground and quietly watched him as he did his thing.

"Rage done!" he shouted, instantly waking me up after I'd fallen asleep without realising it.

"Done with what?" I asked as I blinked my eyes somewhat sleepily.

"Hide for Buddy!" Rage threw me the huge, green pelt that he spent all this time removing from the vulcan. I looked at it for a moment, then proceeded to wrap it around my body. It kind of smelled bad, but I appreciated the gift for what it was; it sure did beat walking around in nothing but a pair of boxers.

"Prepare for feast!" Rage then exclaimed happily, and created a large fire in the centre of the cave using his fire magic. He took a big tree branch, slung the lifeless body of the vulcan around, and hung it over the fire.

"Hey! What that?" Rage suddenly asked, pointing at my hand. What was so special about my hand…? I looked, only to see the sky blue Fairy Tail insignia was still there. I was so used to it being there, I hadn't noticed it any sooner.

"It… It's from when I was a member in a guild," I murmured. Why was it still there when I'd declared I left the guild? Could it be these guild marks are for life, I wondered as I rubbed my thumb over it.

"Guild?" Rage said with a puzzled look on his face.

"A guild is kind of like… a big family." I answered using the shortest and simplest description I could think of. I'd known Rage for less than a day still, but I already had learned that he wasn't exactly the brightest. Plus, I wasn't really in the mood to talk about guilds right now.

"Family…?" Rage muttered, almost sounding a little saddened, but he quickly went back to his regular self. "Rage tired. Rage go sleep," he groaned, lied down and began to snore loudly in a matter of seconds.

What a strange day this has been, I thought to myself as I silently stared at the fire in the centre of the cavern, watching as it slowly died out. I didn't really know what to think of Rage. He seemed like a good kid, but what was he doing here all by himself? What should I do… stay with him for the time being, or would it be wiser to go my own way before he gets too attached to me? And then there was also the question about the Fairy Tail insignia that was still left on my hand. I didn't know for sure, but I thought those were supposed to get erased when one leaves the guild. It's not possible for them to keep me in the guild against my will, right? Tired from all the events from today, I made myself comfortable on the soft carpet of fur and went to sleep. 

* * *

I woke up still feeling exhausted after another restless attempt to sleep, not knowing what time it was. Going by how dark it still was, it was probably still sometime in the middle of the night. Those last moments before Myra lost her life in her forced battle against me kept returning to me in my dreams. Those eyes of hers, looking at me right before she lost her life… they were filled with love and kindness; even after everything she had gone through and knowing that I wouldn't remember her during her last moments, she had never given up on me. That only made it hurt more. Afterwards, I would always ponder the outcome if I had done things differently. Had it been possible for me to save her? However, the soft sobbing sound coming from Rage diverted my own sad thoughts. Was he crying in his sleep, I wondered as I continued to listen. Eventually, my eyes automatically closed and my mind drifted off again, this time deciding to give me enough rest until sunrise that next morning.


	90. Chapter 87 - Lost

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 87  
LOST**

When I finally woke up, Rage was already up and eating more of the meat from the vulcan he hunted yesterday. He must have been paying attention, because he immediately threw me a piece, the moment I sat up. "Meat!" he shouted with a cheerful grin. If something had made him sad during his sleep, he didn't show that he still remembered it.

"Had a good night?" I casually asked him, hoping to maybe learn more, though it could be it wasn't something he would want to talk about.

"Rage sleep well!" he replied like nothing had happened, and proceeded to greedily rip a huge chunk off the meat with his teeth.

"You sure? I heard you sobbing in your sleep." I decided to directly confront him, as I didn't think he was going to admit it on his own If I kept on the subtle approach.

"Rage not cry," he answered in denial, sounding slightly upset by my comment. I didn't really mean to make him feel bad about it, but it seemed he wasn't going to let it go and took a more distant attitude towards me the rest of the morning. I took advantage of the quietness to do some thinking in the meantime and eventually ended up dozing off.

"Rage go hunt!" His grunting voice woke me up from my slumber, but he was already gone when I looked around in the cavern with sleepy eyes. I hastily got up and crawled out of the cave to go after him. He was a strong kid on his own, but I still felt a sense of responsibility to keep an eye out on him while I was here.

"Wait up, Rage!" I yelled when I finally managed to catch up to him using my Lightning Step technique.

"Grm!" Rage growled and continued walking at a brisk pace while staring right in front of him. "Rage be fine alone!"

"You're still angry about this morning?" I asked when I made it to his side. If I had known it had put him in this bad of a mood, I wouldn't have said a thing…

"No matter. Rage hunt now," he avoided answering my question. It was hard to know what was going on inside his head at this time. I knew there was something plaguing him, but I wasn't going to be able to help if he wasn't willing to open up about it.

"Do you even know where you're going?" I questioned him after a while, when I noticed we had been going in nothing but a straight line.

"Prey all around. Rage always find prey," he replied stubbornly, but it seemed my words had reached him as he looked like he was trying to actually search now. We had only set several steps since then when suddenly a large creature came crashing down from the roof of leaves above us. In a reflex, I rolled out of the way, and saw Rage got away in time, too. A creature similar in the shape of that of a dragon, but a lot smaller in size than a real one, had set its eyes on us. This must be a wyvern… I had read a little about them, during my time in Fairy Tail. They're rare creatures, and were considered quite tough opponents, even for skilled wizards.

"Prey!" Rage yelled and stormed straight at the monster as soon as it landed.

"Don't!" I shouted, but it was already too late. Rage jumped at its head, as he prepared to punch it with his fist that exploded with fire. The wyvern merely flapped its wings, blowing Rage away with wind pressure alone. The moment his feet touched the ground, Rage dashed at the wyvern once more. This time, it flew upward to dodge his attack and retaliated with a powerful kick at his back, its claws tearing through his skin. Rage was getting hurt and it didn't seem he had anything to fight back against a foe of this size, that was about to fly right at him for another attack.

"Advanced Lightning Technique! Swords of Concealing Lightning!" A row of large swords, forged by Lightning magic, aimed downward, materialised between Rage and his… prey. It felt kind of odd using a technique I hadn't used in years, I must have learned it before I'd even joined Fairy Tail and lost my memories, but I quickly put those thoughts aside. The important thing was that I did something. The wyvern crashed into the line of vertically floating swords, keeping it from reaching Rage, as well as receiving a multitude of electric shocks as its massive body made contact with the spell. Using this window of opportunity, I sprinted toward Rage and picked him up, then Lightning Stepped to speed away as far as we could. I wasn't sure if I was able to take out a monster like this on my own, there just was no point in trying; this was clearly no prey we should be hunting.

"Grah! Lemme go!" Rage attempted to wrest himself from my grip, but to no avail. I wasn't going to let him go. Not when he was like this.

* * *

Eventually, we reached a stream, perhaps the same one I had travelled through when I'd ran from Erza a couple of days ago. In my rush to flee from that wyvern, I hadn't really paid attention to where we had been going. I finally put down Rage, who had calmed down a little. He fell with his knees on the ground and tears were forming in his eyes. His trembling fingers ran over his back, across several large wounds caused by the wyvern's humongous claws, which had even ripped through the thick hide Rage wore. He must finally be feeling the pain from that attack now that the adrenaline is leaving his body…

"Ow…! Ow, ow, ow…!" he winced repeatedly.

"Come here." I grabbed him by one of his wrists and took him to water. I dipped my hands into the icy water and then carefully placed them on Rage's back to minimise the pain.

"Aahh!" Rage screamed in pain, but he didn't back off.

"It's important we clean your wound," I told him as I kept applying water a few more times. I didn't know that much about treating wounds, but I did know that cleaning them to avoid infections was one of the top priorities, especially with deep wounds like these.

"Why… Why run from prey!?" Rage said once he had gotten over the worst of his pain.

I sighed. "That was no prey, Rage. How were you even planning on taking that thing back to your house? It would only get stuck behind trees." I gently knocked him on top of his head.

"Rage… not think that far," he explained his thought process. "Rage see prey. Rage attack prey. Rage take prey. That… be as far as Rage think."

"It's a good thing I was around, then. You might have gotten yourself killed if I hadn't dragged you away from that monster," I said as I ripped a piece of my hide and laid it over the wound on his back.

"Next time… Rage kill prey," he growled.

"Sure. We're lost, though. How do we get back to your base?" I asked him to change the subject to something more important.

"Base…?" Rage went into deep thought before finally answering with a useless "Dunno! Rage no good with diret… deric… driction!"

"… Directions?" I guessed the word he was trying to pronounce.

"Grm!" he nodded at my correction.

"But you had no trouble finding your back yesterday after we got that vulcan?" I asked him in surprise.

"Rage be dizzy. Head not work," he said, knocking himself on the head with his fist a few times.

"Well, this isn't good… Even if we go back to try to find our way back, that wyvern might still be there," I thought aloud.

"Rage no care. Rage find new cave. Rage make new home," he grunted apathically.

"If you say so," I shrugged. I couldn't say I was exactly that fond of the cavern anyway. Even though it provided shelter from the weather, it was a bit too claustrophobic for my tastes. In all honesty, I kind of felt like going my own way again. The problem was that I couldn't just leave this kid behind all alone here in the wilderness… Why was he here, without parents or anyone else to take care of him?

"Rage. Where are your parents?" I directly asked him after we had been resting in the grass near the stream for a while.

"Home," he answered curtly.

"I'm assuming you're not talking about your cave?"

"Rage first home. That be where parents live… Cave be Rage second home."

"Why are you not with them?" I asked him patiently, even though I had a feeling it was going to be difficult to get more information from him if it kept up like this.

"Rage… not say," he answered after a short while and closed off the conversation with that. That went even worse than I'd expected.

"Well, we might as well do some hunting while it's still early, especially seeing how we we're without any food now," I suggested as I thought about our current situation.

"Rage come hunt," he said and stood up with some effort. It seemed his back was still hurting pretty badly.

"Rage…" I wanted to argue against it, but at the same time, it would allow me to keep an eye out on him if he'd come with me. I'd just have to make sure he wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Rage be fine," he grunted, trying to ignore the pain.

"Fine. But I'll do the fighting this time," I said decisely, at which Rage merely responded with a vague growling. It was obvious he didn't like it, but he had to understand he couldn't just do whatever when his body was in such a bad state. We then proceeded to travel in the opposite direction of where we had encountered the wyvern that morning, just to be on the safe side.

"Bears, huh?" I whispered when we spotted two large, brown bears from our position in the trees after we'd been looking for something to hunt for hours.

"Rage…" He murmured and became restless. "Raaage!" he roared with a voice so loud it hurt my ears and I got blown away by the blast of fire coming from his entire body as he launched himself at the prey.

What does he think he's doing!? I Lightning Stepped directly at him and forcefully pulled him away before he could reach the bears who were alerted by our presence with the noise from Rage's battlecry. "Stop it, Rage! Didn't I tell you I'd hunt for today!?" I scolded him.

"Buddy not be Rage parent! Buddy not tell Rage what do!" Rage argued back.

"You will listen, and you will stay back!" I raised my voice as I lost my patience with him and charged myself with electricity.

"Rage not care!" he yelled and exploded with fire once again.

At a speed Rage couldn't react to, I struck him in the stomach with my lightning-charged fist. It was for his own good… If he wouldn't listen, then I'd have to ensure he wasn't going to be able to fight at all. Rage fell to the ground, knocked out by my powerful hit. Now that that was taken care of, I turned around and looked for our prey, only to find out it had gotten away during our quarrel. What a pain… this kid is way overexerting himself. Thinking he can go into battle when his wounds from earlier are still fresh. What was I going to do with him…?

I probably could have tracked down the bears that escaped, but it would be too big of a risk to leave Rage unconscious on the ground here. I picked him up and placed him over my shoulder. My first priority should be to find a new place where we could rest in safety. I felt bad for having caused Rage to lose his cave; perhaps I was more of a hindrance than actual help to him… Perhaps I was wrong, thinking my presence could benefit him. It was also my fault he stormed out of the cave and got hurt in battle against the wyvern. Without me, he would still have had his cave and hunted regular animals that were of no real danger to him.

* * *

By the time it was starting to get dark, I still hadn't managed to find anything decent, so I had to settle for something a little less than I'd hoped for and took shelter under a large, overhanging rock. I put down Rage in the grass and decided to watch over him for the night. I checked on the wounds on his back one more time, it seemed they were already starting to heal, but there was no doubt they'd leave scars behind.

I left him there and climbed on top of the rock to get a view of the area. In one direction the mountains were visible, behind those should be where Clover Town was at. In the far distance, I could still see the silhouette of the top of Mount Firaea sticking out above the forest that stretched over this large area. It kind looked lonely amidst the trees, away from the mountains. In another direction I spotted a faint glow lighting up a small portion of the horizon… I wondered if there was a settlement of sorts there. If so, then I hadn't ever been there before. Maybe I'll go there tomorrow, I wondered in thought… maybe this whole living in the wilderness thing wasn't really for me. I stayed up on top of the rock a little longer before jumping back down and checking up on Rage again, who was now snoring, indicating he was fast asleep.

I was feeling tired, but I wouldn't allow myself to fall asleep. Every time I could feel my consciousness drifting off, I shocked myself with electricty to keep myself awake to watch over Rage and make sure no monsters would try to attack us in the middle of the night. It was the least I could do for him after messing up his day.


	91. Chapter 88 - Reunited

**A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.**

 **CHAPTER 88  
REUNITED**

"Rage hungry!" the boy roared when I returned, holding some fish in my arms. In the end, I had covered Rage under a bunch of leaves to hide him from animals while he was still sleeping, and had gone out hunting on my own to get us some food since we didn't get any yesterday. I figured fish was easy prey for me, as sending shocks through the water proved to be an effective way of frying whatever was swimming in the vicinity.

"Look. I caught some fish." I grinned proudly at the result of my first successful hunt..

"Rage no like fish. Rage want meat!" He stuck up his nose in disgust.

"Can't say I disagree. Honestly, I'm not fond of fish either, but I found it's the only thing I could reliably hunt with the little survival experience I had, and it's the only thing we currently have," I noted and threw him a few fish. He just sat there, letting the fish land in his face and fall to the ground without moving a muscle. "It's better than nothing…" I said and took a bite from one of the roasted fishes. It tasted like nothing… but I guessed it was still better than eating nothing at all.

"Rage go find home. Then, Rage go hunt," he told me and he stood up.

"Rage…" I confronted him. "I think I'll be going eastward. If you want, you can come along," I suggested, but I didn't want to force him if he'd rather stay here. I knew he wasn't going to listen if I told he had to come, so there was no point in trying. But if he was to decide to come with me, there could be the possibility to have him return to living in a society again... if that light what I saw last night was indeed from a far-away village. With seemingly being the only sign of a settlement in this vast patch of wilderness, it could very well be the place where Rage's parents live.

"East, what?" Rage seemed to think about my words, but I didn't think he fully understood what I meant.

"I'm trying to say that I'm going to go my own way. But that you're welcome to come with me."

"Grm! Rage stay!" He stated decidedly without hesitating as he crossed his arms.

"In that case… good luck and farewell, Rage." I said, took some steps backward as I waved at him, and then turned the other way to leave. There was no farewell from Rage's side… I hoped he was going to be okay.

: : : ::: : : :

"Gaaah! I can't believe it!" Natsu yelled and kicked a table so hard it crashed straight through the roof of the guild hall.

"We get it, you're mad. But please don't release your anger on the guild's furniture, Natsu," I told him, though I could understand his frustration. I, too, felt like his farewell had left a hole behind. I didn't think it would… hurt this much. After we failed our mission, we had hoped Roth would perhaps return to the guild by himself, but there had been no sign of him whatsoever. With every passing day, that feeling of hope was declining and it was having a bad effect on the atmosphere in the guild.

"Then, I'll take it out on you, Erza!" Natsu yelled in a fit of senseless rage and stormed at me. But I knocked him out with one hit on the head with my armoured gauntlet. Natsu was strong when he was serious, but not when he was like this.

"That idiot will never learn, huh?" Gajeel mumbled with a bored expression, waiting for his other teammate. Wendy hadn't shown herself yesterday, even though he had been sitting in the guild hall all day, waiting for her to show up.

"That's Natsu for you. I wish there was something we could do, though…" Lucy added with a sad tone in her voice.

"It can't be helped." The guild master finally spoke from his seat at the bar. "Regaining all of his memories must have done something to him, changed him in some way or another. The Roth we knew, it wasn't the real him; it was only a tiny fraction of who he really was."

"But… we can't just give up on him!" Wendy said as she stood in the entrance of the guild hall, making her appearance at last. "He's still our friend! We won't just leave him, right!?" She was looking for support from her other guildmates.

"Wendy's right!" Lucy said with hope, backing her up.

"No. Right now, all we can do is hope he'll remember the times he's had with us," Makarov spoke. This isn't about us proving our bonds to him. This is something he must face alone. Just as the task of recovering his past was something only he, himself, could do."

"No… this isn't right," Wendy said softly in sadness.

"What a pain…" Gajeel groaned and drunk from his mug of beer.

"Don't worry, Wendy. We're here for you!" Happy said to her, trying to comfort her.

"How about we all go on a big guild job together?" I said, forcing a smile on my face in an attempt to try to bring some positivity to our group. "We won't get anywhere just sitting here, mulling over something that was in the past. We must go forward!"

"Y-Yes, I'd love to join you, Miss Erza," Wendy said timidly, smiling back.

"A big guild job, meaning we get to beat up something big and bad!?" Natsu yelled enthusiastically as he finally stood up, grinning maniacally.

"Ugh, never mind. I'll be staying here and do some training with Lily," Gajeel grumbled when he saw Natsu would come. And probably for the best too, as the two often ended up fighting over the most stupid things, and unlike Gray, Gajeel was much tougher to keep under control for me.

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'll be coming, too!" Lucy said, also joining the party.

"I won't let that hothead hog all the glory, count me in," Gray said, showing his competitive side.

"Look. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," Gajeel spoke to Wendy before she could even say a word to him about not joining the group when she turned to face him. With that, he got up from his seat and left the guild hall.

"What to take… what to take…" I pondered aloud as I observed the request board for some high ranked jobs.

"You're about to leave on a job?" Mirajane approached our group. She held a sheet of paper in both her hands.

"Yes, we were just looking for one. You wanted to come with us?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Well, I just received an emergency request, asking for two specific wizards," she responded with a friendly smile. "Natsu, Gray. They want your help."

"Really? Why him?" Was Natsu's instant reaction to that news, pointing at Gray standing next to him. "I'm more than enough to handle it on my own!"

"I bet I could finish it before you'd find your way out of the guild hall on your own, moron," Gray immediately countered.

"It's a special request, so be on your best behaviour, you two!" Erza told them harshly.

"Indeed," Makarov spoke up. "The client is Warrod Seeken, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, the fourth ranked one. He's known as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar."

"The client is one of the Ten Wizard Saints!?" Lucy couldn't believe her ears.

"What does this mean? Why is an important person like that…?" Carla said in just as much disbelief.

"That it does not say on the request sheet, but it'd be best to not let your client wait any longer." Makarov said, and so we decided to leave right away after packing our stuff for the journey.

: : : ::: : : :

It was hard to tell how much further it was to the settlement from here. When I spotted it in the distance yesterday, it seemed like it would probably take a full day or so to reach, but great distances like that were tricky to estimate. I could probably make it before sunset if I used my Lightning magic, but having spent over a week in the wilderness hadn't done me much good, and it wasn't just my stomach that felt empty. I had noticed it during my encounter with the wyvern, my magic didn't seem to come to me as easily as it normally would, but it was even worse today after having had barely any sleep. As I continued to walk, I pondered if I should take it slow and allow myself to rest for the rest of the day, or if I should try to reach the village before dark. No, it would probably be best if I left this place as soon as I could. I actually was longing to sleeping in a real bed again, and to eat a real meal again… they were some of the luxuries I couldn't get used to missing.

"Buddy!" I heard a voice yelling. I froze for a moment, but I knew it could only be Rage, calling me that.

"Rage?" I asked him when he came to a stop before me.

"Buddy be buddy. Rage not leave buddy," he grinned. That was a first since yesterday.

"Heh, sure. You're okay, though?" I questioned, wondering about the wound on his back.

"Buddy no worry. Rage be strong! Huraargh!" His roar echoed through the woods.

"Yeah, yeah… I get it. No need to be so loud," I said after I took my hands off my ears when the silence returned. "Anyway, let's be on our way."

"Where Buddy be going?" Rage asked, curious about my destination.

"There's a village or something over there." I pointed vaguely in the direction of where I guessed it to be. "It's at the edge of this forest. We can't miss it if we keep travelling in a straight line."

"Village?" Rage seemed to mull it over.

"Anyway, I was hoping to reach it before the sun sets," I added and continued to walk.

"Rage come too!"

"You're not mad at me for causing you to lose the way to your home and knocking you out when you jumped at those bears?" I asked out of curiosity. I had kind of expected him to dislike me after everything that happened yesterday.

"Grm? Why Rage be mad?" He responded in surprise. "Past be past. Past do nothing. No prey from past. No meat from past. Present give Rage what Rage need to survive." He continued to explain his thought process. I was just glad he didn't hold a grudge against me.

It sounded simple, but perhaps, there was some truth in that. Even though being forced to live in the wilderness, as well as my meeting with Rage had helped to distract my thoughts from my painful memories quite well, I still had trouble dealing with my past during moments when I was able to rest… usually during the nights. However, despite Rage's words of wisdom, was he really able to follow his own outlook on life, I wondered. Or was it only a façade to hide from his own difficult past? I was sure I'd heard him crying that first night… there was something going on underneath the cheerful smile and tough kid act.

"Buddy quiet… Buddy think?" Rage suddenly asked me, drawing me from my thoughts. "Think much not good for head. Think much make head hurt."

"Sometimes, it does hurt," I responded somewhat absent-mindedly.

"What Buddy think about?" he asked. Rage could sometimes be quiet for hours, but once he'd begin to talk, he was hard to stop.

"You," I answered plainly.

"What Buddy think 'bout Rage?" He seemed interested in knowing.

"I wonder about your past. How you ended up here, all alone," I said, telling him the truth.

"Rage-" At that moment, a loud screech came from right above us, interrupting our chat. Looking up, there was the silhouette of a wyvern casting a menacing shadow over the two of us.

"Watch out!" I yelled when I saw the wyvern closing in on us at high speed.

"Rage punch prey!" Charging his fist with fiery explosions, Rage prepared a counterattack.

"We run!" I said and grabbed Rage by his arm to drag him along. Rage struggled for a bit, but he quickly gave up, perhaps slowly learning that not every living, breathing creature was meant to be hunted. The wyvern landed on the ground where we had been standing just seconds ago, cracking open the ground around it with its giant claws. "Hold on tight." With that, I Lightning Stepped away from the monster, taking Rage with me. After several hundreds of metres, I slowed down again and took a short break to catch my breath. I shouldn't be this exhausted after using this little magic… Right now, I did regret not sleeping a bit more last night.

We weren't given a break, as a screech could be heard again, and I saw the wyvern taking off again in the distance. We could try hiding under a tree or something, but that would mean giving up the goal of reaching the village before dark if it would keep inspecting this area.

"Prey be hunter now," Rage muttered while looking up through the leaves at the sky.

"We'll have to run and hope it gives up…" I said and continued to run, still holding Rage by his arm.

The sound of hundreds of branches snapping was right behind us. The wyvern was flying low, breaking off the upper parts of the trees of the forest as it came closer and closer. Unless I'd Lightning Step again, there was no way we could escape it now. I was about to use my magic, when a powerful ground shake threw me off balance and made me stumble.

"Rage no more run!" He yelled and challenged the wyvern to a fight.

However much I'd been wanting to avoid a battle against this beast, it seemed we had no other option. I got on my feet and tried to relax myself so I'd have an easier time managing my flow of magic. If only I was at full power, this thing wouldn't have been so much of a threat.

"Careful, Rage. Don't attack it head on. Wyverns are smart enough to dodge," I warned him, just in case, but I doubted he would actually take my advice. Rage continued to charge at the wyvern, not listening to my advice at all. It swung its claws at Rage, but he nimbly dodged and used the opportunity to get hold of its arms and climb on top of it. Positioning himself on the wyvern's back, Rage proceeded to viciously punch it, each strike unleashing an explosion on impact.

"Tide of the arcane spirits that flow through the heavens! Invoke!" I hastily spoke the spell's incantation, followed by connecting myself to Rage's source of magic, and sent him a bunch of my own. The extra magic he received wasn't going to waste, as the explosions from his hits grew bigger and bigger. The wyvern was clearly getting hurt by Rage's violent assault and attempted to fly into the air. But with each explosion knocking it downward again, Rage wasn't going to let it go anywhere. This could be my chance to finish things, using the little magic I still had left.

"New Advanced Lightning Technique! Meteor Buster!" Lightning Stepping towards the wyvern, using the extreme speed I gained to my advantage, I struck the wyvern with a mighty punch to its jaw. Right thereafter, I stepped back, and repeated the same move again, this time striking one of its legs using the same technique. I kept on attacking it, over and over again, each hit aimed at a vulnerable spot and sending electric shocks through its body. Meanwhile, Rage was still pounding away on its back with his explosive magic. We both saw it was about time to finish this now and we charged ourselves for one last hit. A massive cloud of dust was generated by our combined attack and sent the poor wyvern flying straight up into the air, so high that it vanished from sight.

"See! Prey no match for Rage!" He grinned brightly.

"That took about everything I had… but at least we made it." I said while panting. Using up this much magic at once was exhausting. Not a second later, the wyvern returned from the sky, its crash-landing generating a large crater right beside us.

"Rage take prey now! Bigger prey, better meat!" He took the knocked out monster by its tail and began to drag it out of the crater.

"You're sure that's a good idea…?" I asked.

"Forest not as thick. We be close to edge." Rage concluded. I honestly hadn't even paid much attention to our surroundings yet, but he was right. The sun was already quite a bit past its peak, so it might not be a bad idea to start making haste.

"Let's just hope that was the last one. I don't have enough magic for another fight." I sighed, and then continued my way eastward with Rage – who took the wyvern with him. 

* * *

"Halt! Who's there!" Two townguards approached us as we neared the town that I had been wanting to go to, just outside of the forest. "Wh-What's that!?" He stepped back when he saw Rage with the giant wyvern behind him.

"Wait, aren't you the kid…?" The other guard said in surprise.

"We came from the forest and are looking for a place to stay." I said calmly to avoid any trouble. "By the way, do you know him?" I asked the guard about Rage when I saw the surprise on his face.

"We do… he's the kid that went missing, what was it? Two months ago?" The guard asked his partner for confirmation, who nodded back in response.

"Is that true, Rage? Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him in disbelief.

"Rage dunno." He grunted indifferently.

"We'll bring you back to your home, your parents have been worried sick about you. Come." The guard grabbed him by his wrist, but Rage immediately shook his arm to free himself from his grip.

"Rage walk by Rage self," he mumbled and entered through the town's gate, the large body of the wyvern creating gaps in both sides of the wall at the entrance. It was already late and there weren't any people left on the streets, which might be for the best, as people might get scared seeing a wyvern dragged into their hometown. While Rage wouldn't let the guards touch him, he did let them escort him to wherever I guessed was his home. His real home. As we walked through the quiet town, I wondered what could have happened to Rage to end up in the wilderness all by himself for two whole months…

"What do you want from us?" A man showed up in the door opening of the house after the guards had knocked on the front door. He was dressed simply, like a commoner, but his physique was impressive. He might be a lumberjack or blacksmith if I had to guess.

"What is happening, Kagan?" A rather short woman stood behind him; with the man standing in front, she was barely visible to us.

"Miss and mister Ragger, your missing son has returned." One of the guards spoke and stepped aside.

"Reagan! My son!" The man's voice boomed in surprise when he looked past the soldiers, seeing Rage standing behind them.

"It is… It is really you!?" The woman rushed outside, holding Rage tightly. He just stood there with a look of absolute astonishment on his face, as though he didn't know what to feel. "My goodness! I can't believe you're really back after all this time…" The woman was overwhelmed with joy. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Rage…" he stammered. "Rage… miss family!" All of a sudden, he began to cry like a baby in his mother's arms. "Rage… sorry!"

"If there's one who needs to apologise, it's me, son," his father said as he looked at him. "I… didn't think my words would have caused you to leave our family. You don't know how worried we've been about you ever since you left."

"Rage never meant to burn house..." he apologised to his parents while still sobbing.

By now, the guards realised there wasn't much more for them to do here and quietly went back to their post again. I wasn't sure what to do in this situation, but I felt it might be for the best if I, too, would leave Rage with his family.

"You there. Who are you?" Rage's father directed his words to me as I was about to walk away.

"I'm..." Unwilling to use my names from the past, I was thinking of how to introduce myself. "I'm a friend of Rage, your son." I decided that was the best answer I could give right now. "I found him somewhere in the wilderness."

"Buddy joined Rage! Fought big monster with Rage!" Rage smiled proudly and pointed at the huge wyvern lying in the middle of the street.

"You're a wizard, then?" The man asked me straight up, rightfully assuming that only a magic user could stand up against such a beast.

"I use lightning magic." I created a ball of lightning in the palm of my hand as I spoke those words, then quickly made it disappear again. For just a moment, I saw a glance of fear in the man's eyes, it was clear these people weren't used to seeing magic used freely like this.

"You... you have my eternal gratitude, for rescuing our son," he spoke. "If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know."

Thoughts went through my head, thinking of things I could use that I could ask for. Money, food, clothes, a place to sleep... But I honestly felt I hadn't done anything that deserved such a reward. If anything, Rage deserved it more than me. He had helped me survive those days we spent together in the wilderness. He had shared his cave with me, given me this vulcan hide to wear and had taught me how to hunt, well, somewhat at least. If it was true that magic was uncommon in this place, it shouldn't be too hard for me to capitalise on that to support myself. "Know of a place I could spend the night?" I asked, knowing that should currently be at the top of my priorities.

"Well, you'd be more than welcome to sleep in our house. But there's an inn called the Laughing Dog right over there." The man pointed in some direction in the distance. With how small this village seemed to be, it shouldn't be hard to find, even with those vague directions. "By the way, you will need some of these if you go there." He threw me a leather pouch that jingled with the sound of coins when it landed in my hands. "That's the least I can give you." He smiled at me.

"Thank you." I bowed my head and took a last glance at Rage and his family before heading off. Both his parents waved at me, but Rage himself looked confused as to why I was leaving, though he wasn't saying a word. Maybe I'll go pay him a visit tomorrow. But for now, I needed some time alone.


	92. Chapter 89 - A New Start

****A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.****

 **CHAPTER 89  
A NEW START**

It was already late in the morning by the time I finally woke up in my room in the inn. It felt like it was ages ago since I'd slept in a normal bed; it was so warm and comfortable, but a sudden, constant knocking on the door ruined everything. I hastily put on the large, green vulcan hide that Rage had made me. It was pretty much my only piece of clothing besides my pair of boxers... at least it was better than nothing, but I did notice the terrible stench that came from it. It hadn't seemed so bad when I was out in the wilderness...

I opened the door and was greeted by the impatient face of a cleaning maid. "I'm glad that you're finally awake, sir. I hope you've had a good night." She sounded like she was reading from a script, and despite trying to keep a professional tone, it was clear she was irritated with me. "Cleaning of rooms begins at this hour; we'd like to ask you to leave your room in the meantime. Feel free to order breakfast down below," she continued, then made room for me to leave, awkwardly glancing at me as I passed her, probably because I wore little more than just a monster hide if I had to guess. I had to get something done about that...

The inn was a decently sized, two-story building with guest rooms on the upper floor and something more resembling a tavern on the ground floor. Unsurprisingly, most of the tables were empty, leaving the innkeeper with nothing much to do. I ordered a small breakfast and took a seat at one of many empty tables. In one of the corners, there was a group of three. They were all silent, but I felt a large magic source coming from one of them. I casually glanced over at them for a moment; the young man of around my age had instantly noticed, and looked back at me. His eyes were sharp and cold, like those of a person who has endured harsh trials, having come out on top stronger. The girl sitting next to him had her eyes cast downward and sat still like a statue. It seemed the source of magic was coming from her, but it wasn't easy to tell with a source this massive. Opposite of the two sat a large, bearded man. His impressive physique reminded me a little of Elfman, with arms thicker than the body of a regular person. He, too, was quiet, but he did seem to be the most relaxed of the three and appeared to be enjoying his morning meal, which was like ten times the size of mine. I quickly averted my gaze and focused on finishing my breakfast.

For the first time since I'd left the volcano, it felt like I was experiencing peace and safety. Before, I had been on the run from Fairy Tail. I had to deal with life in the wilderness and all discomforts and dangers that came with it. This was a good moment for me to decide where I'd want to go from here. I had received a fair bit of Jewel from Rage's dad, but it would run out sooner or later. Having experienced the luxury of sleeping in a bed and having a normal meal again, I wasn't sure I'd be willing to return to the wilderness. Having my thoughts wander off to thinking about a new place to call my home, made the memories of my old home and family return in that instant, immediately hitting me with a strong feeling of emptiness and grief. I briefly shook my head to try to clear my thoughts and seize control over my feelings. I wondered what mum and dad would think of me right now, if they could see me now; would they hate me and what I've become? What about Myra; what would she want me to do? As kid, I always disliked her overly energetic and mischievous character. She was loud, continually begged me to play with her, and would always find new ways to tease me. She changed so quickly after we joined the Blazing Phoenix guild, as though she had become a completely different person. Those last memories I'd seen of her, right after she... died, she seemed so grown up; so different from how I'd always known her. I never realised how much I really loved her, now that she was gone. Even during our time in that guild, I had been hard on her, always trying to distance myself from her. Despite all that, she had still always loved me; it was thanks to everything she had done for me that I was still alive...

"Hey, you're all right?" The loud voice of the innkeeper woke me up from my thoughts. Barely being able to see a thing through my tears, I realised only just now that I had been crying all this time. "I sure do hope it wasn't the quality of the food that brought you to tears?" he asked and let out a hearty laugh at his own joke.

I shook my head, then answered, "no. Just memories."

"Well, if you'd like to talk, I'm here to listen. It's not like I got much to do anyway," he offered while he continued to clean the tables, even though they didn't look like they needed it.

"In that case, what can you tell me about that group of three that was here earlier?" I quickly changed the subject, as I didn't feel like sharing any of my past with this man at all. Besides, I was more interested in knowing more about those three than telling him my life story. That source of magic I'd felt coming from them, it was quite incredible.

"Sorry, can't tell you. Customer privacy and all," he said. If he's like the average businessman, changing his mind shouldn't be difficult. I casually chucked a gold coin at him. "If you insist... I don't think they'll come back, so it should be okay," he said as he caught the coin and put it away in his pocket. The combination of gold and boredom sure can do a lot... "From what I've heard, they come from the neighbouring kingdom, Bosco. What they're here for, I don't know, but apparently, the young man in their group is a member of the Obsidian Knights."

"Obsidian Knights? Is that a wizard's guild?" I asked, having never heard of them before. I didn't really know anything about Bosco in the first place, other than the fact it has land borders with Fiore.

"Hm, something like it, yes. But they operate differently than those in our kingdom. By the way, are you a Fairy Tail wizard?" He asked after seeing insignia on my hand. I almost forgot it was still there.

"I'm not. But I'm a fan of them." I made up a lie on the spot. I had no reason to tell him the truth. Seeing how easy people could get information out of him, it probably was for the best. Although I really did need to do something to get rid of the guild's insignia, or at least cover it up with something to avoid any more situations like this. I knew the Fairy Tail emblem was widely recognised throughout most of Fiore, but I had always taken it for granted when I was still member of the guild.

"That reminds me, we had one of them visiting a month or two ago. Destroyed half of the inn in the blink of an eye after drinking a few too many beers. I hope I'll never see him again..." The innkeeper grumbled to himself. That made me wonder who it could have been... it must have happened some time during the Grand Magic Games, in which case, the only person it could have been was Gildarts.

"That sounds... troubling. I hope he paid for the damage he caused?" I asked.

"He sure did. Twice the amount that I needed for the repairs, so I guess he wasn't all that bad, heh heh." He grinned by the memory of all that money. "Anyway, what brought you to this village?"

"I don't know. Is there anything to do around here?" I questioned, glad to get off the topic of this Fairy Tail wizard.

"If you're looking for a job, you're in the wrong place. Unless you're a wizard, that is." He said with somewhat of a troubling look on his face.

"A wizard? Why's that?"

"Recently, the wildlife in the surrounding areas has been getting more and more aggressive. Even the village guards have had trouble keeping things under control. Unfortunately, there are no wizard guilds nearby, so it's not always easy to get the help from one." He explained to me. "It's strange, even creatures normally tame suddenly have gotten bigger and grown hostile."

"Recently...?" I went into thought. I wondered if it could have anything to do with Firaea's death. After all, her source of magic had been beyond belief; it's not something that simply vanishes into nothingness. From what I'd read, it could be similar to how the power that was released when Dragons were slain... which eventually resulted in a certain Dragon Slayer's magic growing out of control. Firaea's energy might have spilled all over the region around the volcano and found its way into the animals. Which, in turn, would also explain the trouble I've had beating that wyvern. Though, if this village needed the help of a wizard, then, perhaps I could offer them my powers. I knew I could never atone for the things I've done in the past, but that didn't mean I shouldn't at least try to do something good for the world. I wanted to use my magic for good things; I was sure Myra would want me to, too.

"Hey, where are you going?" The innkeeper asked as I stood up and made my way to the exit.

"You just gave me a good idea. But I'll be back for the night, so keep a room free for me," I answered and then went outside.

* * *

I first wanted to go to Rage's house, as I had hardly been able to say goodbye to him yesterday, after he was brought back to his parents. However, there might not be much need of a goodbye if I was planning on staying in this village for the time being. Spotting the right house wasn't difficult, as the carcass of the wyvern was still lying outside, with a small crowd of curious villagers gathering around it to see what was going on. It seemed it was stripped of most of its flesh, making me wonder if wyvern meat tasted anything good. It was only when I was right in front of the house that I noticed Rage's dad behind the body of the dead animal, plucking at it with a large knife.

"Oh, it's you! Did you find the inn?" He greeted me jovially when he saw me approaching, sticking the knife in a chunk of wyvern remains and waved at me. I was glad he actually noticed me, as he wasn't paying attention to the onlookers.

"I did. You've been busy, by the looks of it," I answered and looked at the results of his work. "How is Rage doing?"

"Fine. He fell right asleep after you left and hasn't woken up yet. He must be tired after those two months away from home."

"I can imagine. Did he leave after attempting to burn the house?" I asked out of curiosity. I had heard Rage mention that he tried, so I assumed that was probably the reason as to why he left.

"I did get mad at him when he did... I never thought he would leave us, though." The man said with a tone of regret. "He knows how to use magic, just not how to properly control it."

"I noticed that during the short time I've spent with him. But it seems all he requires is something that he can focus onto. Anything would do, but if you have a lacrima lying around, that would help a lot," I advised him. I thought that was common knowledge, then again, it probably wasn't for non-magic users. It did seem it wasn't that common of an issue amongst wizards, as most wizards that I knew didn't need anything of the sort to use their own magic to the fullest.

"Lacrimas, really? I believe we still have some of those lying around in the attic," he responded happily. "Reagan could probably learn a lot from an experienced wizard such as you. But I realise that might be asking for too much..."

"Not at all. I was thinking it might not be such a bad idea to stay in this village for a while. At least until I figure out what I want to do. In exchange, I'd like to ask you to do me a favour..."

And so, Rage's father and I came to an agreement. I would help train Rage in the use of magic and in return, he would help me get started with my idea for doing some business in the town. That was the beginning of my new life in this little village. However, whether or not things were going to stay like this for long, that was still uncertain...


	93. Chapter 90 - Lightning

****A/N: Many thanks to Iridium Rose for beta reading this chapter, helping me improve my work.****

 **CHAPTER 90  
LIGHTNING**

It was early in the morning and I had just finished my breakfast in the inn. I walked outside and made myself comfortable, sitting on the floor, on the green vulcan hide I'd gotten from Rage on the corner of the main street in the village. It was the start of another day of work for me.

 ** _Wizard for hire_**  
 _Will do jobs for money and/or food or drinks_

Having done this for nearly a week now, things here were slowly starting to develop into a routine. A routine of staring into the distance for long periods of time, as with a village this small, there really wasn't a whole lot people would need a wizard for. Even so, the innkeeper hadn't been kidding when he said that the wildlife was getting increasingly more aggressive in this region, as the guards had been requesting my aid on an almost daily basis to get rid of hostile animals getting too close to the village. Animals that a normal human was not able to handle so easily. And helping the guards was good for me, as they paid well. Enough for me to pay for a room at the inn and at least two meals a day.

Aside from that, I had also been teaching Rage the basics of magic, or at least tried to. He had a hard time sitting still and was easily distracted. He also didn't seem to like just listening to me talk, but when I gave him exercises to do, he would often complain that they weren't exciting enough. It wasn't easy trying to teach somebody like that, but I wasn't going to give up. Rage's father had not only helped me set up my little stall on this street corner, he had also crafted me a set of clothes, made of the leathery skin of the wyvern that Rage dragged all the way to the village. I could tell he was experienced doing this, as it was of excellent quality. Nice and sturdy, as well as providing enough warmth to keep me warm on chilly days. On request, he had also made me gloves so I could hide the Fairy Tail's guild emblem on my hand from strangers.

"My cat! Please, help my cat!" a middle-aged woman yelled as rushed towards my stall.

"What's the matter?" I replied and stood up, ready to fight in the case of another wild animal attack.

"Mister Harley Mittens Tucker climbed a tree and now he's too scared to come down!" she breathed heavily.

"And you need a wizard to help you with that?" I asked, not impressed by the request I'd been given. "Also, what kind of person names their cat that, really?" I spoke under my breath to make sure she couldn't hear me saying that.

"I tried everything, but nothing worked! I need your help, please!" she begged me. "I pay well!"

"Okay, I get it. Calm yourself down, I'll get your cat out of that tree." I decided I might as well help, as that's what I was here for, and it's not like I was busy with other things right now. And so, I followed her to the tree where the cat was sitting in. I looked up and saw the poor thing standing on one of the many branches, looking down with big, round eyes that were full of fear. I lifted one finger and sent a tiny spark of lightning that struck the tail of the cat. As if hit by real lightning, the cat leaped off the branch, but I swiftly caught it in my arms. It seemed to relax immediately, and so I gently put it with its feet onto the ground, after which it hastily hurried to the side of its owner.

"My poor darling! I'm so happy you're back, I could cry!" She hugged the animal so tightly, its eyes were bulging and it desperately gasped for air. I felt a bit sorry for it, looking at it, but at least it was out of that tree. Seeing the woman reunited with her beloved pet again made me feel happy.

"You don't know how much of a hero you are, mister Wizard, please accept this reward as a thank you for your help!" The woman said as she turned to me and gave me a handful of gold coins. More than I'd earned from assisting the guards all this week. It was too much for me to accept, but the woman was already heading back inside her house, still holding her cat close to her chest, by the time I'd finished counting. I hesitantly added the coins to my pouch and was about to return to my stall when I was halted by a group of three.

"I am here to make use of your service," The young man, clad in leather and metal, spoke to me as he looked me directly in the eyes. Despite his demanding tone, the way he spoke sounded very formal, as if he was raised in a high class family. These were the same people I had seen in the inn last week... they had disappeared from the village that morning and hadn't come back since then. What were they doing here all of a sudden?

"What do you want from me?" I asked cautiously before agreeing on anything. The other two beside him just stood there. That girl, still with the empty look in her eyes, staring down at the ground. The big guy stood with his arms crossed, looking like he was somewhere else with his thoughts, like he was just waiting. I didn't know if I could trust any of them.

"I have been told you're a strong wizard. I am in need of your help." Somewhat stiffly, the man went down on one knee before me, then rapidly rose again after he finished speaking. On his back, he carried an enormous piece of metal... was that a sword? "I have little time to stand around and talk. I'll provide you with details on the way to our destination. Here, wear this." He threw me a bundle of clothing. What was this all about, I wondered, but feeling somewhat intrigued by this sudden turn of events. What could these three possibly want from me?

"Give me a moment, please," I answered and hurried the other way.

"We are leaving in less than an hour. I will count on your return before that time," The man spoke to my back as I left.

I couldn't just leave without saying anything. I rushed to my stall to grab my things, then went to Rage's house.

"Buddy's early!" Rage yelled when he saw me coming. I only taught him magic in the afternoons and normally never visited before that time.

"Yo, Rage. Where's your dad?" I asked slightly out of breath.

"Right here. What brings you here at this time?" his father asked, showing up in the door opening of their house.

"I'm just here to say that I'll be leaving for a while... not sure for how long," I told him. He gave me somewhat of a confused look in return. "I've been asked to help this... stranger with something, as part of my job." I continued to explain. "In case I'm going to be away for a longer time, I just wanted you to know."

"... I see," He answered after a short while of thinking. "Hey... before you leave. Can I ask for your name? You see, we've known each other for a week now, yet you've never given me your name. It's just something... not knowing the name of the man who saved my son, it feels something is missing."

That dreaded question. Yet, I was bound to be contronted by it again at some point. Refusing to go back to my old two names, I had to quickly think of something. I saw Rage looking at me, waiting for me to answer his dad's question. He must have been wondering about it as well, I thought to myself, even if he had always just called me Buddy. It was then that I got the idea for my new name.

"Lightning," I simply answered, hoping I sounded convincing enough to make them think I wasn't just making things up on the spot. If Rage named himself that because he got angry easily, then I would call myself this, because I use Lightning magic. Actually, repeating that thought in my head, that didn't make much sense, but it was too late to change my mind now.

"Very well... Lightning." Rage's father didn't comment on it, but I could tell he thought it was an unusual name. "I'd like to thank you again for everything you've done for our family."

"Hey, this isn't a farewell. I'm coming back here once I'm done, okay?" I said, even though I wasn't entirely sure I could hold myself to that. After all, what really had I to return to in a place like this. I had nothing here, although I would feel a bit bad about leaving Rage behind if I wasn't to return. I could see him grow into a powerful wizard some day, but he just might require a little more assistance to get to that point.

"Not fair, Buddy! You not tell Rage name, but you tell dad name!" Rage angrily pouted, but this really wasn't the time for me to get into an argument over something that silly.

"Anyway, I've got to go now. Thanks for all your help!" I waved at the two of them before finally making my leave. On my way back, I unfolded the clothing I had received from the man asking for my help. It was a long, grey, brown-ish hooded robe, with an insignia in black on the back that was unknown to me. The insignia had the shape of a tower, with a triangle pointing upwards at both sides. I hastily put it on and ran back to the place where the mysterious trio should be standing. Despite not being sure whether or not I could trust them, I couldn't help but feel a little excited about this. Life in this town hadn't been bad per se, but it might have been a little too... bland. I was kind of looking forward to go on an adventure again. In addition, I was interested in finding more about these people, and especially that huge magic source.

* * *

"We are leaving," the man in the front said as soon as I showed up. All three of them had put on a cloak similar to mine over their clothes during the time I was gone, making us look like an organised unit. I wondered if this cloak I was wearing bore the insignia of their guild... the Obsidian Knights, wasn't that the innkeeper told me it was called?

"So, what do you need me for?" I finally asked once we'd left the village behind us and was no longer visible. Right now, all around was nothing but pure wilderness, and I had no idea where we were headed from here. If this was some kind of trap, things could end up badly for me, but I didn't allow that thought to stop me. If I was to die here, then so be it.

"I need your... help... defeating something." Those words, coming from their leader, came slowly, painfully, as if it took a great deal of energy to speak them.

"Excuse our master," the big man in the back suddenly spoke to me after a pause. His voice sounded deep, speaking in a calm manner, articulating each word carefully. "It was not easy for him."

"What wasn't?" I asked out of curiosity.

"His pride shattered by defeat. Now, he has to rely on the power of an outsider." The big guy continued to talk. "It is unfortunate, but this foe was more formidable than we had expected. It was stronger than it should have been." Strong enough to take out these guys? Their magic source rivalled those of some of the strongest I'd felt in my life, outside of those of the dragons and the demi-god, of course. "Yet, I am grateful for this loss that our master has suffered."

"Why's that?" I didn't understand a thing of what he was trying to say. What kind of enemy were they talking about. Why was he fine with losing against it?

"Our master must learn to be resourceful, even if that means hurting his own pride. Pride is not a virtue. It's something that he must learn to stand above. Only then, he'll be able to become a true knight," the man explained.

"He's undergoing some kind of trial?" I threw out a guess at what I thought this was about.

"Correct. But it is not a trial purely based on one's abilities in combat. Being able to judge oneself his capabilities and limits and finding ways to work around those is also looked at. Truth to be told, I had not expected him to –"

"Hurry up, or we might lose track of it." Their leader yelled from atop a hill. He must've run ahead during the time I talked with the other guy. We both kept our mouths shut and hurried after him. My head was full with thoughts about the little I had been told and the reason I was asked to come with these people. After my short talk with them, I had a feeling I could trust them... that they weren't here with bad intentions.

"All right. We rest here for the night," the man they called master said after a long day of marching through seemingly unending wilderness. I was glad we finally got a chance to sit down and get something to eat. The big guy was the one doing the cooking, and it didn't taste half bad. Their leader was sitting with his back against a tree, quietly cleaning the huge sword he had been carrying on his back all day long. Something about that weapon fascinated me. It wasn't like anything I had seen used by any traditional wizard.

Then, there was this girl in the group, yet she hadn't said a word; I wondered what was the deal with her. She usually had her eyes aimed at the ground, like she was actively trying to avoid any kind of contact from others, and never seemed to show any sort of emotion. Though I was certain this monstrous source of magic that I felt... it was definitely coming from her, and not the other two. There was a crushing aura all around her that was stronger the closer I was to her, yet the other two didn't seem to be affected by it. Perhaps they were already used to it?

"Tell us your name," the leader spoke to me, taking me right out of my thoughts.

"It... it's Lightning," I answered, just remembering the name I had decided to go with for myself again.

"Tell me more about yourself, Lightning," that demanding tone was strong in his voice.

"What do you want to know?" I asked, not knowing where to even start.

"Where you are from. What kind of life you are living. Anything, really," he spoke without taking his eyes of the sword.

"I come from a small town called Oakhill. It was near the south coast..." I wasn't even sure why I was telling him this.

"The south coast? That is quite far from here." He casually commented.

"Things happened. I used to be in a wizard's guild, but it no longer exists." I kept things vague, as I didn't want to be reminded of the past. Nor did he need to know of the details of my life.

"What do you do now, Lightning? How has a wizard of your level fallen so low to end up living on the streets?" This time, he looked me in the eyes. Again, that same intense gaze as before. Why was he asking me about this?

"I can't answer that," I replied after thinking about how I should answer, but nothing came up. The life I was currently living was without any sort of purpose. I had nothing. "What's your name, and what are you here for?" I asked him back, as I didn't want the conversation to continue going on about just me. I wasn't interested in talking about myself, not with these people.

"Thieme Rokhart. Member of the Obsidian Knights guild from Bosco." His introduction was as stiff as could be, lacking any kind of personality. "The girl, Celia, is my Second, or slave as you call them in your country. The old man is master blacksmith, Beren Varrson, my retainer. Our mission is to defeat the mythical beast Savancaya, and claim its source of power."

So, she really was a slave... I'd had heard tales of slavery being common in Bosco. Though, with her magic power, she could easily break free if she wanted to? "Then, that's what you need my help for?" I asked, ignoring my thoughts about the girl and sticking to the main topic for now.

"Correct." This time, he didn't seem to be bothered to be reminded by his need to rely on my help. "This beast is known for the unique crystals it contains inside its body. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have asked for help, but with how rare sightings are, I cannot afford anything or anyone else to kill it. Chances are, wizard guilds in the surrounding areas have already been notified and received requests to take this beast down. I cannot allow that to happen."

"I see. I'll try my best," I responded and finished the last of my meal. "Is there anything more you can tell me about our target?"

"Only that it is much stronger than it should be," Beren joined in. "Savancaya had always been ranked as an A-class creature, but the strength it displayed in its battle against master Thieme was undoubtedly above its recorded potential."

"How is that possible?" I asked. This talk of a monster growing stronger than it should have been, once again, reminded me of the situation back in the village.

"If only we knew. But, this is a good test for our young master, is that not right, Master Thieme?" Beren laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"As for the payment..." Thieme began, completely ignoringhis retainer's attempt at a tease.

"That can wait until after the job is done," I stated before he could finish. Honestly, money wasn't something I was hugely interested in. As long as I had enough to afford the basic necessities, I was fine.

"Very well. With a little luck we should make it back to our target in one to two days. It wasn't far from here when we fought it last week, and the markings on the ground I spotted earlier today indicated it can't have travelled too far away..." He had been tracking the monster all this time? To me, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. "...I want us to continue early in the morning, so make sure to get enough sleep." After that, he closed his eyes and everything around us became silent. Berus, following his leader's advice, wrapped a blanket around himself and went to sleep, yet Celia remained to sit there, quietly staring at the dying flames of the campfire. I wasn't sure how to feel about her... was there a reason for her to stay with these two when she had all this power? Nevertheless, I had other, more important things to worry about... like making sure to be well-rested for what tomorrow would bring. I had no idea what this mythical beast thing was, but it sounded tough enough to not underestimate at any cost. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep on the carpet of leaves that covered the ground of this forest.


End file.
